Find a meaning to our lives
by YeonMee
Summary: Sakura,loyal kunoichi. Itachi, missing-nin. Orochimaru wants immortality. Sasuke seeks power. Sakura cherishes friendship. What of love? She may discover some gruesome secrets.Truth about one's path are never welcomed when it throws your life in disarray.
1. Obliviousness

**Anime/Manga**: Naruto

**Pairing**: Uchiha Itachi X Haruno Sakura

**Language**: English

**Chapter 1** - Prologue

**Words**: 5 692

**Status**: On-going

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Prologue ~ Obliviousness**

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Tsuk**__**inohebigure. 137**__**th**__** day of Year 5 of the Sanyo's era. 12pm**_

The dry crackled ground was soaked with blood. The night was pitch black, if it weren't for the two golden colored eyes that shone in the darkness. Glinting sadistically, the snake-like eyes narrowed in pleasure watching the bodies squirm under the attacks. The smell of blood, fear and pain made him shiver. Blood smelt so … wonderful. It smelt like copper. It always made him want to lick it. Lick it and drown in it, scraping, hurting, ripping away the skin. Delectation was what Orochimaru felt as he watched the village of Tsuki no Hebi burn. Yes, those mere mortals would all die for they had refused to follow him. He, the greatest God-to-be. He, one of the three Sannins. He, one of the greatest -and craziest- ninja of all times. The piercing screams were sweet lullabies to his ears. He smirked and indulged himself in watching his creation, his masterpiece… That night the moon was tainted with blood and cried crimson tears.

One of the ninjas had slaughtered Miho whose lifeless and blood-covered body hit the ground with a muffled "thump". Junishi stared at the once beautiful face of his wife and quickly altered his stance, shifting away from his opponent, ready to kill, activating his bloodline limit. A humorless laughter, devilish and insane chilled him.

-You idiot…Orochimaru-sama chose us especially because of our lack of bloodline limit. You can't do anything at all ! You, scum !

The last thing Junishi heard was the high-pitched laughter of his murderer. And the last thing he saw was the face of his daughter whom he had hid under the bed.

-D..Don't…come out… , he rasped in a low whisper before his head was cut off.

The little girl looked at her parents, wanting to touch them but they had ordered her to stay hidden and make no noise. She was no fool. She knew they were not fine. Because there was some sticky, red substance all over them that reeked of copper. And she did not like this smell. But she never disobeyed her parents. She stayed hidden, trying to be invisible and silently wishing for her parents to be happy forever. If she knew they were dead, she didn't know why those guys clad in dark outfits were grinning, laughing and why they were attacking her village. She just hoped that it would end soon. She still smelt the awfully strong scent of copper but she did not move. She wanted to put her hand over her nose, she wanted those guys to stop hurting -_cutting_- her family, her friends, her neighbors, she wanted … she wanted… she just wanted the beautiful moon to stop bleeding all over her village. She did not know how many hours -or was it days?- she spent there, hiding under the bed, fearful, refraining herself from crawling out of under the bed to go next to her parents' bodies. Just to see. To touch. To make sure they had existed at all. To make sure…she was here. To make sure it wasn't a nightmare. A long, endless nightmare. She wanted so badly to reach out for the slaughtered bodies. She needed to know it wasn't just her imagination. But she couldn't. Father told her not to come out. And she had been taught to be a good girl. Thus she was digging her nails in her own palms till she was bleeding because those hands of her could not reach out for the corpses. Those hands were not allowed to touch reality. She quietly sobbed, muffling her sobs with her own dress that was tainted with blood and hiding her pallid face in her trembling hands. The veiled shocked eyes of her father stared at her as though trying to comfort her. But no one reached out for her hand. No one comforted her. Soothed her.

Amid all the screams and cries of the villagers and the loud laughter of their murderers, no one heard the muffled sobs of a 4 years old little girl.

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_**Konohagure. **__**Year 11 of the Sandaime's era. 04pm**_

The sky was clear blue and it annoyed the little pink-haired girl. Because there wasn't any cloud to stare at. She couldn't either stare at the ground. Stare at mere grass was nothing marvelous. How come even the nature was against her? She sniffed, and ran her small hands over her eyes, trying to hid her tears. However she could not suppress her sobs and eventually stayed like that, sitting on the ground, dirtying her cute white dress while sobbing quietly. She didn't even acknowledge the presence of the blonde girl who was now standing in front of her.

-Hey, why are you crying?

-L-leave me a-alo-one…

Sakura sniffed one more time and tried to stop crying, hoping it would make the other girl go away. Much to her dismay, she felt the girl touch her hair in an attempt to make her raise her head. She silently kept her head bent, not wanting to show her tears to anyone.

-What's your name? I'm Yamanaka. Yamanaka Ino.

Sakura raised her head, her big clear green eyes staring at the cute blonde girl. The tears were now nowhere to be seen and the sight of Sakura's innocent surprise made Ino beam. The little pink-haired girl was cute.

-Saku..ra. Haruno Sakura.

-Why are you crying?

-…They mocked me becau…because I have a bi…big fore…head !

Sakura felt the tears roll down her cheeks again and bent her head, ashamed of her own weakness. Ino didn't speak for a moment, then told her that she would be her friend, implying that she would defend her against those "idiots".

Sakura raised abruptly her head, her eyes still red and her tears still gliding down her cheeks. Her big emerald eyes showed a wavering hope that made Ino smile. Sakura opened her mouth but no sound would come out of it. She blushed, embarrassed and ready to hear any mockery coming from the blonde. She was sure the other girl found her pitiful and silly with her mouth wide-opened like that. Much to her surprise, Ino did not mock her, nor did she abuse her. Sakura forced back her tears and took a deep breath. When she finally heard her own voice she was surprised at how decided she sounded. She had expected a wavering, pitiful voice instead she found the words running smoothly on her tongue as if she had prepared a speech beforehand. She did not recall sounding ever so much…confident.

-Really? You swear you'll be my friend?

-Yes ! And I will protect you from the meanies ! Forever, I promise !

Sakura smiled. She was glad. She had made her first friend.

This night, once at home, she was too excited to fall asleep. Her parents had been overjoyed to learn she had made a friend and had told her to bring her new friend to lunch sometimes. She had brightly nodded, sure they would like Ino once she would invite her. After all, Ino was pretty and she was her very first friend.

-My first friend, she whispered in the darkness of her room.

The smile adorning her face made her even cuter. She smiled as if it was the last day she would be able to smile. She smiled to no one but herself, proud and happy. She blushed a little, knowing how much she must look silly smiling to herself like that in the darkness. But she frowned a little, her excitation disappearing even so slightly. She didn't remember much from … before. She wondered briefly if Ino was really her first, ever first friend. She furrowed her brows, trying to make something, someone come out of her mind. She suddenly felt a little tinge of pain in her head and decided to go to sleep.

-It's silly. Of course Ino is my first friend…she whispered before falling fast asleep.

From the window she could have seen the pale light of the moon that gave her room a silvery sheen. The eerily silver light of the almost complete moon grazed the bare forehead of the little girl, revealing two small kanjis encased in black circles drawn just on her right temples. Just like seals. Once the light of the moon shifted away from the little girl, the kanjis were nowhere to be seen.

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Konohagure. **__**Year 12 of the Sandaime's era. 10am**_

Sakura watched wide-eyed the transformation Iruka made. Where the teacher previously stood was now an exact replica of the Hokage. In awe she forgot to stare at her crush, Uchiha Sasuke. Said Uchiha was actually bored to the point he was staring at the window, watching the mothers waiting outside for their children to return home. He slightly turned his head to glance at Haruno Sakura. He didn't let any emotion show through his face though his eyes lingered sadly on the pink-haired kunoichi. He softly sighed and watched with amusement how her emerald eyes grew wide as she watched Iruka perform his jutsu. So much naivety…He bent his head and rested his chin on his right hand, turning away from Sakura. He did not like fan girls but if there was one girl he avoided most, it was definitely her. He did not want to be around her too much. It made him nervous and weak. As the bell ringed, he quickly went out, not wanting to meet any fan girls and went straight home to practice. He did not see Sakura gazing sadly at his back.

-Sakura-chan! Hey hey!

-shut up, Naruto !

The blonde boy known as Uzumaki Naruto only grinned at her, which made her even more furious. How could he always be so…silly? She yelled on at him, telling him she did not want to eat lunch with him and that she definitely did not like him. He then made his best big puppy eyes to soften her and she turned her head, not wanting to look at him. Eventually she reluctantly let out a soft "I'll go with you" while pouting. Naruto grinned and took her hand, making her run until they arrived at Ichiraku's.

-What? Ichiraku? Naruto, eating ramen **everyday** isn't healthy !

-Hey! Two pork ramen, dattebayo !

-Naruto! Listen when I talk to you !

He only guffawed and handed her a bowl of ramen which she took not so unwillingly. She was starving since this morning for she had woken up a bit too late and had not taken any breakfast.

-It's gooood !

-Stop making those "slurps" sounds ! It's disgusting !

-Mphfff but…Shakura it'ch cho good I haff to take mfy time eatin' it, dattebayo !

Sakura sighed but inwardly she could only laugh at her blonde friend's antics. She quickly ate her ramen and waited for Naruto to finish his 3rd bowl before she bowed, thanking the owner of the shop and forced her friend to leave. Naruto was babbling about how Sasuke-teme was annoying, bringing in his tracks his whole fan club when Sakura checked the hour and gasped. Naruto immediately turned his head toward "his beautiful Sakura-chan", wondering what the matter could be.

-Sorry, Naruto I've got something to do !

-EHHHH? But I wanted to walk with you, dattebayo !

Naruto made his killer puppy eyes and Sakura tried to resist but she knew that look was her weak point. She had never been able to resist those puppy eyes. She sighed and told him he could go with her to the hospital where she had been ordered to go at 01.00 pm. Naruto grinned and Sakura swore she could see him wag his tail like a dog that would have been offered a sweet, delicious bone.

-Hey, Sakura-chan, why do you have to go to the hospital? Naruto asked, tilting his head in confusion.

-I myself don't know…but the Hokage said I couldn't skip even one session. I have to go there twice a month. The nurses make some weird signs and they touch my head. It's not painful but I don't know what they exactly do, answered thoughtfully the soon-to-be kunoichi.

-Why don't you ask them, dattebayo?

-I did, but they told me I didn't need to know…

Naruto pouted, clearly annoyed by the answer but did not reply, and started to whine again about how much Sasuke-teme pissed him off. Sakura heatedly replied that Sasuke-kun was awesome: clever, gorgeous and mysterious. By the time Naruto tried to explain to Sakura that Sasuke-teme was no good for her, they had arrived to the hospital. The nurses restrained Naruto who wouldn't understand that he simply couldn't assist to Sakura's session. Eventually the girl told him to quiet down: it was a hospital and Naruto's whining and loud yelling was clearly disturbing the staff as well as the patients. Naruto pouted but obeyed nonetheless. Whatever Sakura said was gospel's truth.

Standing on a tree, far away from hidden village of the Leaf, a young boy stood. Smiling, he turned back and disappeared in the darkness of the forest, only leaving a whisper behind him:

-Sakura…continue to bloom beautifully…

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Konoha**__**gure, 183**__**th**__** day of Year 7 of the Godaime's era. 08am**_

A little knock on the door woke up the blonde woman who had been sleeping in her office after drinking sake. She yawned and tried to hide proofs of what she had been doing. After a loud "come in", she straightened her back, dignifying her posture.

The sight of a pink-haired kunoichi coming in her office made her smile softly. Sakura was now her apprentice. The little kunoichi had asked her to make her her apprentice not long after Uchiha Sasuke left the village, and Tsunade had had no choice but to agree. She respected the strong will of her apprentice as well as her well-known intelligence and chakra control. Sakura was a fast learner but the circumstances made her work twice as more as before. The Hokage knew how Sakura felt about Sasuke and she didn't even once try to stop her from improving her skills only for Sasuke's sake. On the other hand, she also knew that Sakura's feelings were not real. But Sakura did not know that. And she didn't need to. She was fine the way she was. She had already suffered too much.

-Tsunade-shishou…you were sleeping, weren't you? Asked disapprovingly Sakura.

-Ah … haha ! What did you want to see me for, Sakura? Tsunade replied, brushing her apprentice's question off.

-Well you had asked me to come and see you today at 8…so here I am.

-Ah yes!

She rummaged through loads of paper before extracting triumphantly a sheet of paper. Sakura shot a curious glance at the paper, waiting for Tsunade to explain what it was about. Tsunade grinned.

-This, Sakura, is the Jounin Appliance. And you _have_ to fill and sign it.

-Uh? Was all Sakura could think of.

-Come on Sakura, you cannot possibly think of staying a Chuunin till your death? You've got to become a Jounin so that I can send you on A-ranked missions and even better, S-ranked missions, said the blonde woman.

Tsunade winked. Sakura knew that S-ranked missions meant : Sasuke. Sakura gaped at her teacher, clearly moved by this proof of love and trust. She nodded vigorously and took the paper with trembling hands. Tsunade smirked. Sakura was really a soft person although someone could mistake her harsh and violent reactions as a proof of a violent personality. Her apprentice was gentle and could soothe easily a friend's anger or sorrow. Tsunade had been more than pleased to teach her medical skills, she felt how much Sakura loved helping people. She knew Sakura wanted to show that she was there, that she was strong. And Tsunade believed Sakura had reached her goal. At 15 Sakura was a well-respected medic-nin as well as a capable Chuunin and strong kunoichi who had inherited from the Hokage her inhumane force.

-I'm counting on you, Sakura, added in a motherly-like voice the Hokage.

-Yes, Tsunade-shishou !

Sakura smiled a bright, wide smile that made the blonde woman chuckle with pride, like a mother whose baby would have said "Mama" for the first time. The young kunoichi then bowed and walked out of the room, Tsunade still staring at the back of her favorite protégée.

-Shizune !

-Yes, Tsunade-sama?

-Bring me another bottle of Sake ! the Hokage ordered cheerfully grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Shizune gave her some Sake and sighed though she was smiling at the Hokage's motherly nature.

-She grew well, didn't she? Tsunade asked

-Yes, she did.

-Aaaah ! I'm so proud of my little Sakura ! Tsunade exclaimed, opening her bottle of Sake.

Shizune chuckled and went out, leaving the Hokage at her favorite activity, drinking Sake. Once the dark-haired girl was out, Tsunade sighed heavily and put her cup of Sake down on the table. She was proud of Sakura but at the same time she couldn't help but worry about the young girl. Being the Hokage she knew some things that others did not know about and those "things" were definitely not something she would gloat about. She loved Sakura as if the girl was her own daughter and she did not like the idea of Sakura being threatened. But she knew that the day she dreaded so much was near.

She sighed again and looked with a pained expression the small scroll lying in the left corner of her table before putting it in a drawer and sealing the drawer as if she wished it never existed.

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Tsukinohebigure. **__**137**__**th**__** day of Year 5 of the Sanyo's era. 12.00 am**_

-Lunch's ready !

-Yay !

Miho smiled softly as she saw her one and only little girl run to her. She ruffled the mid-length hair of her beloved daughter and waited for her husband to come and eat with them. Not long after his daughter, Junishi came in the kitchen, his eyes shining brightly as he took in the cute sight his wife and daughter offered. He chuckled and patted the bright hair of his daughter too before they all sat down and started eating.

-What did you do today, Sakura?

-I … have learnt…t-to con-control my chakra ! the little girl answered proudly. She was only 4 and thus had still some difficulties with her speech, stumbling on her words here and there, stuttering sometimes but she was able to make phrases. Full phrases. With a subject, a verb and a complement.

Her parents both smiled and beamed at her.

-Really? You ought to show us ! they exclaimed

-Yes !

Sakura nodded vigorously before digging in her plate once more, savoring the flavor of the oh so delicious takoyaki her mother knew exactly how to make. She munched happily letting sometimes a "yumm!" escape her mouth. His father looked at her proudly as though she was a gem or his most treasured possession. And she was. If he had to choose between his life and his wife's life or his daughter's life then he would gladly die. If there was something he was proud of it was his family. He had a wonderful wife, joyful, strong and graceful. Haruno Miho was a delicate and quiet woman whom all her friends loved truly. She had rosy long hair that reached her waist, tied in a low ponytail with a black velvet ribbon, a pale round face that showed clear grey eyes. The contrast was strikingly beautiful. People who met her for the first time always remembered her rosy hair and grey eyes. Her eyes were not dull, nor mournful. They were grey, but it was a bright grey the kind of grey you can see when the sun shines after a storm. It was a grey that showed light and warmth.

Sakura had inherited her beautiful hair though not the eyes. The little girl had big green eyes that were a bit slanted nonetheless captivating. That was a green you could not see in the nature, neither the color of the pale green leaves, nor the color of the most coveted emeralds. Junishi knew his daughter would become a real beauty even though she did not seem like one for the moment being. She was a cute little girl but there were some girls who were far more beautiful than Sakura was. She had not yet bloomed. She had some issues with her forehead that some girls mocked and her face was a bit too round for her frame. But he knew for sure that her rosy hair and green eyes were something even the most beautiful girls of the village would never have. Because it showed she was a Haruno. A _special _Haruno. A Healer…

-Ah, Mommy!

-What is it sweetie?

-T-today I-I also met a boy wi-with make-up !

Miho and her husband shared surprised looks. It was unusual for other children to go near to their little girl for she was loathed for her forehead and feared for she was a Haruno. Surely this boy was either nice or had ulterior motives. Only once had Sakura been approached boldly by another child, though a little older than her. Miho had discovered that the boy wanted nothing but please his parents whose goal was to befriend Sakura then kill her, the sole heir of the powerful, fearful Haruno Clan.

-Haaa…and was he nice, sweetie? Miho asked gently.

-Yes ! He was rea-really nice ! But he s-said he couldn't stay here bec-because he has to go back in his c-country !

-Ara? He's not from here? Perhaps you should write him then ! Did you ask for his name and address?

-He said h-his name is Gaara an-and that I j-just need to send it i-in the Sand V-village a-and he will receive my letter ! Sakura replied grinning.

Miho chuckled and shot a bright smile to her daughter. But inwardly she was worried. Wasn't Gaara the name of the Kazekage? Wasn't he a jinchuriki? She looked worriedly at her husband who shrugged and smiled softly, chuckling at his daughter's happy face. Miho relaxed and beamed at her daughter.

-You have to write him, then ! If he's so nice it would be bad not to write him a letter, ne Sakura?

-Yup !

Miho and Junishi both laughed as Sakura grinned on, obviously proud of herself for making a new friend.  
After lunch they all went to the training fields of the Haruno Clan and while Junishi and Miho sat down, Sakura began preparing her kunais. She sharpened them a bit and put them aside, on a rock. She closed her eyes and forced her chakra down to her feet. Not too much though… She loved the feeling of sensing chakra in your body. Many ninjas did not pay much attention to it because it was something that happened every day. But Sakura always paid attention to her chakra even though she knew it was a part of her. She liked to cherish it as though it was a gift, something that did not really belong to her, something that she had to take care of. The feeling the chakra gave off while circulating in her body was a pleasant feeling. It always made her tingle with excitement and joy. She loved her chakra. It was her life. She cherished it as much as she cherished her parents.

She opened her eyes and took a deep breath before running towards the biggest, highest tree of the field. An oak. A 9 centuries-old oak. She climbed up to the upper branch. Never releasing her chakra off of her feet. Maintaining contact with the large trunk. Never letting her mind wander to something else. Always aiming for the upper branch. Always. It was a rule Sakura had thought of: _Never ever lose your goal out of your sight. Always look up to your best performances. Always do your best even if you must die from exhaustion._

Once on the upper branch, she climbed down the trunk, and then ran to her kunais before throwing them towards the 5 different targets. In fact, 5 stones that were hidden behind oaks. She frowned. Concentration. Target. Concentration. Aim for the best.

She had released some of her chakra around each of her kunais, wrapping them in her warm chakra. She closed her eyes and felt the connections, the strands with her chakra materialize in her mind. She pulled at them, strengthening them, giving them a little more speed. She maintained her control till the kunais all went through the oaks before burying themselves in the stones. The oaks were all adorned with a nice, neat big hole.

Sakura beamed at the sight of her doing and turned to face her grinning parents. Junishi applauded, soon followed by his wife. Miho got up and ran to hug tightly her daughter.

-I'm sooo proud of you my little sweetheart !

Sakura hugged back her mother, inhaling the sweet, comforting scent of the beautiful woman. Like….roses. Yes, it was like the sweet, sugar-like scent of red roses blooming.

-Sakura, it seems you've got an affinity with wind, Junishi spoke up.

-R-really?

-Yeah, normally you shouldn't be able to blow a hole in those oaks but if you've got an affinity with wind, it explains that you are able to. And it can't be an affinity with fire or water or else the rim of the hold would be slightly burnt or wet. However it could be an affinity with earth too…. Anyway I'm still very proud of you !

Sakura beamed at her father's words and looked up to watch her mother's radiant face. Miho was literally glowing, her eyes shining brightly with love and pride as she looked at her one and only child. Life couldn't be better.

Little did they know that that day would be their last.

That night the moon was red.

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Konohagure, **__**238**__**th**__** day of Year 7 of the Godaime's era. 10 am**_

A loud knock forced Sakura to wake up and make her way to the door. She stifled a yawn and opened the door. A grinning face glanced at her. She inwardly sighed. What was Naruto doing in her doorway? He did know today was her day off didn't he? She wanted to sleep longer. Moreover it wouldn't be good if she collapsed during the Jounin exams due to sleep-deprivation. She had to sleep to fully replenish her chakra. And the Jounin exams were taking place only in three days. Eyelids half-closed, she waited for Naruto to explain the reason for him waking her up. Before she could register what was going on, he had stepped in her house, closed the door and thrown her some clothes. And there she was, in her room with some clothes in her hands. She stared at them until she heard Naruto rummaging through her kitchen. She threw open the door of her room and glared at Naruto. Her friend slowly turned his head, laughing softly in a vain attempt to soften her anger. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the different bottles and all kind of food that laid on the flood and she slammed the door. Naruto vaguely heard her curse, sighed and scratched his head, wondering how he would replace all the things he had thrown on the floor… Minutes later, he heard his friend curse again and he sighed. Sakura slowly opened the door and stared at him yet not angrily.

-What's with that…_**thing**_? She asked

-You mean your kimono? Well that's eheh…errr I hope you like it.

He shot her a worried glance then dropped his head as though he had been guilty of some important crime.

-Well…Ino dragged me with her yesterday and she bought this kimono for you…You know we nearly spent our whole afternoon to choose this one.

Sakura glanced back and forth at the kimono and her friend, then eyeing the dejected little fox that was bending his head before her she sighed loudly and stepped out of the room.

-Fine! I'll go out with this…_**thing**_. But it's the first and last time I'm wearing something like that.

Naruto nodded vigorously and stared at his friend. She was stunning for sure….The kimono Ino had chosen was… _somewhat_ tight and it gave a perfect idea of what her body was like, revealing and filling her curves at the right places. He blushed and understood why Sakura was reluctant to wear that kind of clothes. She was never one to act as a femme fatale…it was most likely to be Ino. Even though she had grown into such a beautiful and desired kunoichi -_woman_- Sakura never took the time to look around her and take interest in someone. She was restlessly training from 6 am to 10 pm, never letting anyone around her, never letting anyone close to her very heart. It pained Naruto to see the girl he considered as his sister so cold, so…sad. He knew why she never looked at anyone, why she never let anyone hurt her. It was because of Sasuke. Always, always Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke. A name that people despised, loathed…hated with a passion. It was a name that people refrained to mention aloud. It was a name that was feared. It was a name that made Team 7 brood over happy, ancient times. Uchiha Sasuke had become taboo amongst people of Konoha.

Sakura patted the right side of the kimono with swift, neat almost nervous movements. Non-existent dust fell from the cloth and a small smile graced the kunoichi's features.

-Shall we go, then?

-Yeah, dattebayo !

She chuckled and pushed him gently outside of her house before closing the door. As they wandered through the streets, Sakura immediately noticed that people -_men_- were looking at her more than usual. In fact they were staring at her with a more lustful gaze. She tried to ignore the stares that made her feel ashamed though she had done nothing wrong. She wanted either to run and hide into her bedroom either to hit all those men who were staring at her and making her uncomfortable. She would rather choose the latter though… Naruto must have sensed her discomfort for he took her hand and glared around as if to tell 'Don't you ever think of taking her away'. She inwardly giggled but let her hand in Naruto's enjoying the contact with another human being. It had been long since she had had such an intimate contact with someone else. Since Sasuke had left she had done nothing but training and she never let anyone close to her, even Naruto, even Ino…She woke up early, she went to bed late and therefore encountered only occasionally other ninjas. Safe for the days where she would go and eat some ramen with Kakashi and Naruto she never was in contact with anyone. Even for the missions she always asked for solo missions. She was always alone. And she liked it. It made her stronger. That's what she wanted. Even so…even so, being by Naruto's side made her realize how much she had missed the warmth that emanated from someone else's body. How much she had missed what made her human: Contact. Emotions. Friends. The world. She smiled slightly as she looked around her as if seeing her surroundings for the first time. It was as though the colors were neater and brighter, the people happier and she…more aware of the world and her own existence than she had ever been.  
If Naruto noticed her change of mood he did not comment it but she saw him smile too. He knew. He knew that she had missed him. Them.

At least they found Ino who wore a kimono too. She had chosen one that was light blue with lemon yellow and lime-green leaves. For it was not a traditional kimono she wore no obi and her kimono too was…tight. She grinned at them and waved them closer. She took in Sakura's appearance and seemed to be satisfied. For her friend Ino had chosen a pure white kimono with seemingly endless silver-colored arabesques that danced through the whole cloth and captured here and there ice-blue and emerald butterflies. The embroidery was neat and the arabesques seemed to dance along with the butterflies whenever Sakura moved as though the designs had been embroidered in her very skin. To match her hair along with the kimono Ino had given her a light red-colored hairpin adorned with a big metallic butterfly covered with small emerald and rose glass beads. Ino stared inquisitively at Sakura before she grinned and gave her friend a thumbs-up.

-Nice, you actually managed to make yourself decent, forehead-girl!

-Ha! You just wanted to make me look ridicule, didn't you Ino-pig? What's with you today anyway? Because you know….I wanted to sleep this morning, Sakura said in a low almost threatening voice.

-Hmph! And I made the mistake to think that you had a brain… Stupid forehead girl did you forget that today's your _birthday_ ?

Sakura opened her mouth and … gaped. She had utterly forgotten her own birthday. She could see the look of utter amusement on her female friend's face and blushed. She was so stupid. How could she have forgotten her own birthday… Ah, right…She had trained till late yesterday. And she had been trying to create a new jutsu lately. And she had had many work at the hospital. To make this long story short she just hadn't had enough time to think about her birthday.

-Well, now that you've realized that it's your birthday we'll get going!

-Heh? W…wait, Ino! Ino! … WHERE ARE WE GOING ?

A crow stared intently at the frail kunoichi whom her blonde friend was dragging through the streets of Konoha. Its eyes became pools of crimson red. Three little tears of black swirled and a man stood instead of the crow. Low ponytail, emotionless eyes, hardened features yet slight smile. Uchiha Itachi sighed and turned away from Konoha towards the Akatsuki's headquarters.

-Haruno Sakura….

The whisper was lost in the wind yet he knew that one day his voice would reach the little kunoichi. He would make sure of it.

※

**PLEASE READ WHAT FOLLOWS.**** IT'S A LITTLE RECAP OF WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON SO FAR ^o^. MOREOVER IF PEOPLE HAVE A SONG THEY LOVE AND WANT TO SUBMIT PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING LINES:**

※

**N/A : **For I kinda guess it's already confusing with all shift I made between Tsukinohebigure and Konohagure not to mention the shifts past/present I wanted to make a little recap :

Tsukinohebigure

* Year 5 of the Sanyo's era

-137th day : 12am Sakura trains. Her parents watch her.

-137th day: 12 pm Slaughter. Sakura is 4 year old.

Konohagure

* Year 11 of the Sandaime's era

-18th day : Itachi slaughters his family. He's 13.

- 214th day : Ino becomes friends with Sakura. Sakura and Ino are 8 year old.

* Year 12 of the Sandaime's era

Naruto learns about Sakura's monthly visit to the hospital. Itachi watches from afar.

Sakura and Naruto are 9 year old. Itachi is 15.

* Year 7 of the Godaime's era

-183th day : Tsunade gives the Jounin appliance to Sakura.

-238th day : Sakura's 16th anniversary. (Itachi is 22)

- 241th day : Jounin competition.

I hope it helped you. I myself had to write this down for I had some trouble remembering which day I had set which event… This chapter 1 was the prologue. From chapter 2 there will be a new something… I intend to use songs for each chapter, that is I intend to build each chapter around a particular event, or a particular feeling that I'll try to match with a song that describes it well. As for Itachi's feelings I already have plenty songs. But as I don't really like using a song sung by a man for a woman's POV I have some trouble finding some songs for Sakura. If some people have a song they really love (sung by a woman but eventually I do not mind either) feel free to share it with others and give me the title with the name of the group/singer then I'll see if it can fit with my chapters.


	2. Gift

**Anime/Manga : **Naruto

**Chapter : **2

**Status : **On-going

**Pairing : **Uchiha Itachi / Haruno Sakura

**Rating : ** T (for now. Perhaps I'll change it to M)

**It's a ****fan-fiction**!** Otherwise, there would be no Itachi at all… **

**SONG : ** "Strange and Beautiful" by Aqualung. = h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = y c T - H R h _ k 1 M (without the spaces)

**

* * *

~Gift~ **

_**

* * *

Konohagure. **__**238th day, Year 7 of the Godaime's era. 10pm**_

Sakura blushed. Naruto peered over her shoulder and gaped. He slowly turned towards their sensei, Hatake Kakashi. Said man was smiling. A broad smile. Genuine. Perhaps, too much genuine to be true? Sakura recovered from her shock and glared murderously at the silver-haired Jounin.

-And, what. is. this. ? she growled menacingly.

-My, my…I thought you would have understood Sakura. Obviously it's your birthday present!

-Obviously, she muttered ironically, then why is my birthday present a ….'special sakura-chan version' ICHA ICHA PARADISE ? she yelled.

Naruto winced as did Hinata. Shikamaru sighed, muttering something that oddly looked like "annoying…". Neiji did not say anything, as did Sai. Choji munched on his crisps, Shino stroke one of his insects' back with his finger. Ino smirked.

But Kakashi only smiled on. For Sakura though, Kakashi's smile looked more like a grin than a smile. Or perhaps…a grin? No, perhaps it looked more like a smirk. Yes, a smirk…Exactly. Was he mocking her?

Her hands balled into fists and she could sense her anger rise up. Kakashi sensed it too for he quickly moved one seat away warily eying her fists. She inhaled and exhaled deeply for three minutes, shot her best murderous look to her sensei then smiled sweetly to the rest of her friends.

Ino noticed that even though this present had angered her, she did not throw it away. She kept it by her side all the time they sat there, eating and chatting happily. The blonde girl smiled softly, inwardly chuckling at her friend's gentle nature. Sakura was too soft. Really.

In the vicinity of Konohagure, perched upon an oak branch, a dark crow squeaked. Its eyes trailed the young girl's every gestures. Every word. Every frown. Every smile. Every laughter. The crow turned into the figure of a young man. Dark long hair tied up in a low ponytail. Blood-stained clothes. Weariness upon the face. Lust in the eyes. Dark eyes. A glint of crimson red. Crimson red. Symbol for passionate love. Or perhaps…Death? Never once blinking, the eyes intently followed Sakura's movements.

He was watching. Watching her. He was so far … far from her. But it did not matter. Because he was always looking at her, whether it was during the day or at night, whether he had just returned from a mission and covered with blood or not, whether he was so tired that he just wanted to sleep or not, whether she was training or eating, laughing or brooding. He was always watching. Never missing any details of her life, never forgetting to watch her every day. Every single day.

When he was watching her like that he felt as though he was by her side. It was as if the distance between them was reduced to nothing. As if he knew her as much as if he had been by her side for the past ten years. And he did. From watching her from afar he knew more about her life than her _friends _would ever know. He knew everything, from her habit of putting her comb on the right side of the washbasin while drying her hair to her habit of cleaning the floor every other day.

He only wanted to be by her side by all means. How many times had he wanted to feel the warmth of her skin, the softness of every strand of her hair? He himself had not even counted the number of times he had so desperately wanted to reach out for her. But he knew that he still wanted to feel her presence, to feel her presence by his side. He wanted to take her away from Konoha and keep her for himself. It was selfish. Childish. Despicable. He knew it. But it did not matter.

Nothing mattered. Nothing except her. He wanted to jealously keep her smile for himself. But he knew that he could not. Because if he ever took her away from her friends, her smile would fade. She would wilt, as a flower that lacks water and love. Her heart would simply be there, in her body, but it would no longer beat. Her heart would not beat for him, it would not thump, it would not quiver with excitement, nor would it bloom as a flower greeting the sun. It would simply die. Slowly but surely.

He could not afford to do that mistake. Even though he wanted….wanted so much to keep her with him. _To keep her away from them. From other people. _It was slowly

killing him. Ripping his heart. His _own heart_. But he loved her. More than anyone else. He was willing to die from the inside for her.

He sighed wearily. His eyes seemed to glimmer. Tears. He felt them roll down his cheeks. Slowly. Hesitantly. It had been a long time since he had shed any tear. Was it the reason why those teardrops were hesitant? They were running down the cheeks, rolling on the skin, briefly stopping, searching their way -_right, left….forward-_ as if discovering the skin for the first time_, _grazing the edge of the upper lip, hanging on the upper lip for a moment…then hurriedly falling toward the lower lip, gliding on the chin, slowly drying on the neck skin.

He let them fall one after another, silently, his eyes never darting away from Sakura's lithe figure. He did not try to dry his tears. Eventually they would dry. Without him.

Even those tears were…killing him.

Would there be a time when he would be allowed to take her away from that place? It was his one and only wish. His last wish as a human being…as a murderer. His first and last wish. And it was a selfish one.

_I've been watching your world from afar,  
I've been trying to be where you are,  
And I've been secretly falling apart,  
I'll see.  
~_

Sakura reached out for the other presents. She unwrapped each one carefully with her long, thin fingers. She delicately put aside a white ribbon and unwrapped the present. It was a box. A wooden box. She held it in both hands and put it on her knees. The softness of the wood made her heart jolt and shiver. The wood was as soft as cotton…no, as water, and it was a bit lukewarm. Yes, that wood truly made her think of water. Her calloused fingers did not feel much after those intensive trainings she forced upon herself. But this wood was special. Unique. Even with her calluses she could feel the wood _react_ to her touch. It was _speaking_.

She snapped out of her wonder and opened the box. There, on a black silky tissue lay two small blades. She stared dumbly at those blades and looked at Neiji inquiringly. He snorted softly and sighed.

"Those blades are pretty similar to the ones Naruto saw. Genma uses blades that resemble those but the one I bought you are blades that can work with any element. I don't know with what element you've got an affinity so I could not buy you any particular blade. Those are small but if you'd like I could show you bigger ones if you're interested. The man who gave those to me told me he even had katanas and kodachis that could work with elements."

Sakura could only gape. It was one of the longest sentences Neiji had ever uttered. It was…somewhat miraculous. The Hyuuga squinted at her as though he knew what she was thinking. She giggled, her face flushing red. Her male friend stifled a snort.

Sakura never ceased to amaze him. She was strong, beautiful, respected and yet she was such a shy woman. Although she wore such a determined and fierce look on the battlefield, she always tried to avoid attracting attention in Konoha, always being modest, quiet. It was something that he liked about her.

He had never seen someone that clever - except Shikamaru- and if there was one thing he prized most it was intelligence. A slight smile graced his features as he watched his female friend brush with her fingers the cold blades.

His Sharingan hardened, twirling furiously as he took in the scene. That guy…he had seen him before. It was a Hyuuga. Hyuuga Neiji. He frowned. He knew that they were nothing more than normal friends but it still hurt him to see her so close to another man. So close. So affectionate. It was her way of interacting with other people. He _knew _ it. But still…it killed him. He suppressed the urge to rip the Hyuuga's neck, to shred it in the most wicked way.

Oh how badly he wanted to take her away from that village. The strong cold wind had eventually dried his tears and even his eyes had been dried off. he blinked slowly, his head lowered, his gaze set upon the branch he was on. In his mind he kept on replaying the image of Sakura laughing wholeheartedly. He glanced towards his ring and his features hardened.

With a swift movement, Sakura turned her head towards the forest. She heard some crows squeak. She smiled. The sound was beautiful. Dark, frightening yet comforting. It appealed to her.

Kakashi squinted his eyes at her pensively but said nothing. No one else seemed to notice the crows. He sighed and began to read the new Icha Icha Paradise. Her gaze lingering upon the forest, Sakura didn't stop smiling.

She opened each one of her birthday gifts, one after the other. Deep in her mind, the rough squeak of the crows was still echoing.

Itachi ran through the trees. Everything was blurred. He was going at full speed. He set a light foot on a branch. And hopped again. There was no time for settling down and catching his breath. He needed this. He needed to feel the rate of his heart quicken, he needed to feel his breath slightly caught in his throat, to feel this sudden surge of adrenalin, to hear his own heart pounding… He just needed to think about something else. Anything was fine. Anything but her. Sakura. Sakura and her heart-warming smile. Sakura and her bright pink hair. Sakura and her shining, vivid, twinkling green eyes. Sakura and her pure, innocent heart.

_To me, you're strange and you're beautiful,  
You'd be so perfect with me but you just can't see,  
You turn every head but you don't see me._

_**

* * *

Konohagure. 239th day, Year 7 of the Godaime's era. 01 am**_

Sakura closed the door. The soft thud made her heart clench. It was a sound she was used to. But today was special. She had seen her friends. She had had contact with human beings. Contact with warm, smiling, laughing people. That was something she had left out of her life for more than three years. Even her parents rarely saw her after Sasuke left the village. And one day, they were killed. During an S-rank mission.

Sakura had not shed a tear. At least not in public.

But, once alone, she had almost flooded her entire apartment.

She had tried to live on as if nothing had ever happened. But it was difficult.

Because, even if she tried hard to convince herself that she could manage to take care of herself, deep down, there still was this longing for warmth and human contact.

A longing for love. A longing she had since she was a child. Before Sasuke left, she longed for Sasuke's love. After he left, she longed for her own love. She wanted to love herself, she was tired from hating herself for her being weak. She wanted to be strong, to be proud of herself, to love the person she was. But even after all that hard training with Tsunade, she still had, from time to time, the feeling that she was not strong enough. That she was not the kunoichi she wanted to be.

And at those times, she hated herself with passion.

She put down all the gifts on the table.

Advanced medical books given by Tsunade and Shizune.

A black katana adorned with a single cherry blossom engraved on the hilt, from Kakashi and Yamato.

Neji's blades.

A kimono, carefully chosen by Ino : whitish with emerald butterflies and pinkish cherry blossoms.

A diary that Sai had personalized by drawing different people and landscapes every three pages.

A new pouch for her kunais and two kodachis, little presents from Shikamaru, Choji, Shino and Kiba.

A gorgeous necklace made of sapphires and white opals. Hinata had said her father had paid for it. Not many people could tell that they had received a gift from the great head of the Hyuuga clan. And Sakura doubted the man had bought it out of sheer gentleness. She had the feeling that it had to do with her having healed him a few months ago after he was wounded in a battle.

A new set of shurikens and kunais …. a little gift from Tenten.

Even Gaara, Temari and Kankuro had sent something for her birthday: medicinal plants and an ancient and rare book that talked about poisons and antidotes. The kind of book that _they couldn't understand and found boring but in which Sakura might find some interesting things_, or so Kankuro wrote.

A green spandex outfit…that she would probably never wear.

And a book on 'How to cook ramen' given by Naruto. Of course.

She sighed and went to her bed, dragging her feet heavily on the floor. The bed squeaked as she threw herself on the bedclothes. She sighed and buried her nose in the white sheets. She felt weary. Weary, but happy. Very happy. She closed her eyelids and heard her heartbeat echo in her head. She pressed her head a bit more in the bed, focusing on listening to her heartbeat. It was a regular, muffled sound that quickly lulled her to sleep. Her breath was quiet and soft when someone knocked on her door. She didn't stir.

Outside, Sai stood there. He searched for his teammate's chakra and deduced that she was asleep, judging the calm, unchanging and low waves of chakra. He shrugged and turned around. He had wanted to give her another gift but she must have been tired. He looked at the small package in his hand and walked away. His steps were slow and silent. He thought about Sakura.

Haruno Sakura. A great kunoichi. A great fighter. A great medic-nin.

And a great friend.

He did not know when he had begun to care for his teammates. Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, even Yamato…somehow, they had all become friends to him.

Naruto was here when he needed to banter with someone, fight with someone. Sakura was here when he needed to feel at peace, to learn new _emotions_, to simply talk, to train and spar...These two were his only and best friends.

And he'd rather have the Uchiha stay a missing-nin. Because he was afraid that Uchiha Sasuke would steal his friends away from him if he ever came back.

For the first time in his life, Sai was afraid.

Afraid to be all alone.

Afraid to have no friends.

A few miles away, perched upon a branch, Itachi stood. His Sharingan were on. It was not like he could see anything from where he was, but he could still sense every little ounce of chakra in Konoha. Of course, he had easily spotted Sakura's. And by doing so, he had spotted another one, a chakra that belonged to a friend of Sakura's. A male friend. What was he doing in front of her apartment when it was already past midnight?

He could tell that his little jewel was asleep. Her chakra was low and calm. He could not find any disruption in it. Tonight, he could not wait for the anbus to shift. He had been sent on a mission. He unfastened his cloak. Slowly. One of his arms dangled out. Now both arms were hanging out of the heavy and warm cloak. He reached out for the little package he had put in his pocket. A crow materialized in front of him. He attached the box to the crow's claws and shot a last longing glance to Konoha before he ran in the opposite direction.

Thud. Thud. Thud. His sandals barely made any sound on the rough wood. He tried to push his thoughts in the back of his mind. A flash of pink interrupted his concentration. He smirked. It was impossible to forget Little Blossom.

Sakura groggily opened one eye. She did not know why but she had the feeling that she needed to get up. The curtains had not been drawn. The moon shined in the starless sky. An eerie glow due to the moonlight bathed the room. The window was open. The young kunoichi shivered and slowly got up to close it. Her feet grazed the cold floor.

As she put her hand on the window, she noticed a dark shadow at her right. She swiftly backed away, her hand already glowing with chakra. A sudden squawk made her tense. Then she sighed and nearly laughed at her own behavior. It was only a crow…

She was ready to shoo the bird out of her apartment and go back to sleep when her eyes widened in recognition. The bird was hopping towards her with a _package_ wrapped around its claws. It stopped in front of her feet and waited there. She looked at it quizzically. Was the box…for her? She crouched down and carefully extended her hand. The crow stared at her but did not fly away. She hesitantly untied the ribbon and took the box in her hand. She opened it. The sight took her breath away. On a crimson silk lay a white rose surrounded by a myriad of sakura blossoms, all of it being frozen in pure, transparent, octagon-shaped ice. Unconsciously, she smiled slightly, her eyes shining with wonder.

Who had sent her this gift? It was beautiful. She slowly got up, as if she did not even know what she was doing, her eyes still riveted on the flowers. She closed the window, the crow totally forgotten by now, and went back to her bed. She sat there, staring at her gift. Slowly, she felt herself drift into sleep once again.

The crow hopped nearer to the bed. A soft crimson glow flashed in its eyes but it disappeared almost as soon as it had appeared. Then the crow disappeared, its dark feathers blending into the night. Sakura stirred. Utter darkness enveloped her lithe body.

Nothing was left. Nothing except a tiny, soft, dark feather that lay on the ground.

_I'll put a spell on you,  
You'll fall asleep and I'll put a spell on you.  
And when I wake you,  
I'll be the first thing you see,  
And you'll realize that you love me. _

_Yeah...  
Yeah..._

_**

* * *

Kon**__**ohagure. 239th day, Year 7 of the Godaime's era. 10am**_

It was 10 o'clock when the pink-haired kunoichi woke up. She hadn't slept so much since …since Sasuke had left. Her hand met a cold object. She glanced down and her eyes lit as she carefully took the beautiful frozen flowers in her palm. She still did not know who had gotten this for her. Was it Sai? However beautiful and artistic it was, she doubted it would be her emotionless teammate. Naruto? Very unlikely. Ino? Ino did not know any water jutsu. Did she?

She got up and made her way to her kitchen. She needed to eat. A lot. Because today was a day off. And a day off meant training. A lot of training. A bloody hard training.

She smirked as she imagined herself kicking Sai's ass or punching a few times Neji. Or perhaps it would be best to ask Kakashi to spar with her?

Today was going to be great.

She hastily ate and showered. She put on her black outfit. Well…now, **all** of her outfits were black. A black short and a black shirt. She tied her headband on her forehead, smiling as she caught the glint of silver. She stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Yes. Now she was a true kunoichi. She was strong. She was Tsunade's apprentice. She was the best medic-nin in Konoha, even better than Shizune. Almost equal with Tsunade. She was one of the best Anbu captains. She was Haruno Sakura.

All the fears that had resurfaced during the night had disappeared. She loved who she had become. She loved her strength. And if she had some weakness left…then she would just have to turn them into strength.

She would rise to the top. And once she was at the top, she would stay there. She would not go down. She was a kunoichi who belonged to Konoha.

She opened the door and stepped out.

She decided she would go and see Ino before training. The flower shop was lovely as it had always been. The fragrances were all intertwined and the different colors were making bright walls. Sakura smiled as she spotted white roses. The rose she had gotten was much more beautiful, she thought. She heard someone running and she knew Ino had felt her arrive. Her blonde friend immediately greeted her with a smile as wide as the sky and hugged her.

"So, how does it feel to be all grown-up?" Ino laughed.

"I'm just 16. No big deal" Sakura smiled.

"Oh! You gotta take those flowers, Sakura! Take these home. I'm sure they'll brighten your room, look!"

Ino turned around and squealed with delight as she found what she was searching for. She giggled as she handed bright orange-colored begonias to her friend. Sakura took them and marveled as she took in the bright orange that could rival Naruto's old outfit and the softer hue of whitish orange in the center of the flower.

"Thank you, Ino! They're beautiful. I'll be sure to put them near my bed so I can see them every morning when I wake up." Sakura winked.

"Ha! You'd better, Forehead girl!"

Suddenly, Sakura was reminded of the gift she had received during the night.

"Er- Ino…did you- Did you send me some flowers after we left the restaurant?"

Ino stared. "No." Then she squinted her eyes at her friend and snickered. Sakura knew all too well this look. It didn't bode well for her. And as she had predicted, she soon was the subject of Ino's little investigation. She just had to wait. Wait and stay calm. Ino would eventually stop babbling. Yes. She just had to stay **calm**.

"Ah ah…Did you say 'flowers', Forehead Girl?" Ino asked.

"Yes I did" Sakura replied, nearly letting out a deep sigh.

"And what flowers exactly?"

"A white one and -"

"No, what kind of flowers? Was it a bouquet of red roses? Red azaleas? Any other flower that could express…_**love**_?" Ino wore now a look of pure evilness on her face and it was obvious that she was enjoying this moment.

"Er- A white rose and many sakura blossoms"

Ino's eyes widened in an almost comical way. Then she laughed loudly. Sakura closed her eyes. Her blonde friend didn't laugh for a long time. She was quick to resume on her little questioning…

"And that was…at what time exactly?"

"I don't know. During the night"

"During the - Oh my god! Sakura, you didn't -"

"I did nothing, stupid Pig" Sakura retorted, a bit annoyed at her friend's…overflowing imagination.

"Hmm…Well you know, sakura blossoms mean 'Purity' and 'Innocence'. Of course, the rose being white, it means the same…**But**-" Ino's eyes were glinting dangerously and Sakura tensed "But, a white rose is also given to young girls. Pure young girls of course. It can be given during a _**marriage**_".

"Ma- Tch! As if someone would-"

"Tsk tsk. I'm pretty sure whoever has sent you this, he has some deep crush on you."

"That- Are you sure you aren't the one who left it?" Sakura replied heatedly.

"Hell no! I wouldn't want to marry you!"

"But it can be a friend who didn't know of the meaning!"

"It could be" Ino saw her friend's face lighten."And it could be…not" The young Yamanaka inwardly snickered upon seeing her friend's dejected expression.

"But it isn't the first time it has happened, right? Last year and the year before and the year before that…didn't you receive a gift whose sender was anonymous?"

"Yeah. I still don't know who sent me the teddy bear when I turned 6. The necklace when I turned 7. And then it was a new pouch with new kunais. And then a dress. A white dress with a big ribbon. And then earrings. And then books on ninjutsu. Books that I had searched for weeks and weeks. And then a map of all the Hidden Villages. A map I had wanted since I was little. A map my parents couldn't ever find for me. A map that was more detailed than any other map I found in books. And then a book on medical jutsus. A book I had talked about a week or so before my birthday. A book I said I wanted to read. And then, medicinal herbs that are very rare. Medicinal herbs that I desperately needed since Tsunade-shishou didn't have any of them. And then, it was another necklace. And now…"

Sakura stared into the air. That secret admirer of hers was someone Ino still hadn't exposed. Every year, Sakura would receive a gift for her birthday. A gift that neither of her friends would leave at her home. A gift from someone who always knew when and where to leave the gift.

Ino sighed and raked her hair with a hand.

"Well…how about we go to your apartment and I see these flowers?"

Sakura was already tired and could do nothing but nod.

On the way back to her apartment, neither of them talked. Ino could see this whole flower matter bothered her friend. Since Sasuke had left, Sakura had grown up, mentally and physically, but no matter how many men went to ask her out, she would always reject them one after the other. Sakura had friends. She had respect. Power. But she had no real family. Her parents had died. And she had no one who could lovingly tell her that everything would be fine, no one who could tell her that he was there for her, no one who could make her forget her pain for a moment with a mind-blowing kiss…

Of course, being close friends, Naruto, Kakashi, Ino, and even Sai, Neji, Hinata would always try to remind her that she was not alone. That they were here with her. But friends could not fill all of her heart.

Sakura let Ino step in the apartment and closed the door behind her. On the table lay the flowers, still encased in the ice. Ino let out a high-pitched squeal as she rushed to the table. She took the octagon in her palm and stared at it.

Sakura let herself fall on her bed and patiently waited for Ino to speak.

"OH MY GOD! Sakura…it's…it's...beautiful! wonderful! magnificent!"

"Yeah. I know".

"And did you see that ice?"

"No. Of course I didn't see it, Pig" Sakura replied sarcastically. That earned her a dark glare but she shrugged it off.

"But it's strange…I don't see who could have done that. Do you know anyone who has mastered the water element?"

"No. I hoped you would know"

"But you know, this person must really respect you. First, the rose and the sakura blossoms. You know what that means. And the main point which you didn't even tell me: the octagon"

"You didn't ask me"

Ino snorted and took her attention back to the ice.

"The octagon means: right view, right thought, right word, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration… I tell you, Sakura, this person doesn't want you just to bed you-" Sakura cringed. "He must know you pretty well if he knows your qualities! He's got all of them right! You're intelligent, you put a lot of effort in whatever you do, you're always thinking, and you- No scratch that. He's got one wrong. _**Livelihood**_? Yeah…you haven't been lively since…since, well you know what I'm talking about".

Sakura stared into emptiness and let her memories of Sasuke resurface. How many times had he told her that she was annoying? A burden? Useless? Weak?

She did not want to go out with anyone. All she wanted was for Sasuke to come back and Team Seven to be one once again.

~  
_Sometimes, the last thing you want comes in first,  
Sometimes, the first thing you want never comes,  
And I know, the waiting is all you can do,  
Sometimes... _

_**

* * *

Amegakure. **__**03pm. Exact location unknown. **_

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"One room" came the reply from behind a high collar. The face was totally masked by the coat and the straw hat.

"Of course. Can I know your name?"

No words were spoken. The man merely took something out of his pocket and put it on the table. The innkeeper stared at the money. Was the man giving the double-

"Privacy, of course. I understand. Have a nice stay!"

The man had already left. The sound of a bell echoed in the empty office.

The innkeeper blinked then sat down, waiting for new clients to arrive. After all, in Amegakure, one could easily stay anonymous. The only thing needed was money. Or strength. Or perhaps, a black coat adorned with red clouds.

He twirled the key in his fingers. On the key was engraved the number "27".

He stopped in front of a door. 27. It was here. He stepped in and locked the door behind him. First, check out if there is any other ninja. Secondly, put a genjutsu on the room. Lastly, wait for Leader's orders.

He unfastened his cloak, put off his hat and put both of them on the bed. He briefly closed his eyes. No chakra around here. Good. He pulled out some kunais and eyed them. All of them glinted under the flickering yellowish light cast by an old lamp. Nothing to sharpen… He stared at his hands. No nail to paint. A feather fell in his palm. His eyes lit with anticipation. A crow slowly appeared out of nowhere in his hand. It screeched.

"So she liked it…"

He closed his hand, crushing the crow, and put on his cloak and hat. There was no bird when he stepped out of his room, a small smirk adorning his face. It was a good thing Kisame was specialized in Water Jutsu… His Sharingan twirled, flashing crimson, as if to agree. But for now, he had other things to do. He had blood to shed.

As he walked in the streets, he noticed people glanced warily at him. _Fools_, he thought. Amegakure was by no means a "normal" village. It was common to see missing-nins and bandits here. But seeing an Akatsuki wander in the town, that certainly was ominous. Even the few civilians who did not recognize the Akatsuki trademark cloak and hat could easily feel the danger that seemed to radiate from him. The missing-nin stifled a snort. He had no business to take care of with those people. He only needed to go and see a wealthy, fat, old leecher.

The man, Kozaku Yukimura had apparently asked for the Akatsuki to take care of one or two of his enemies. And it seemed like Pein had had no qualms about agreeing to his request. After all, when the pay was good…And Akatsuki were not known for their kindness. Quite the contrary. But Pein had sent Konan to do the job for everyone else was already on other missions. And it seemed that the employer had wanted to have fun with the woman. Not that Itachi minded. But Pein did.

He now stood before a huge house that strangely reminded him of the Uchiha Compound. It was nearly as huge as his _**former**_ home. But not as refined, he noted with a slight note of disdain. He did not bother to knock. After all, that would not be needed. He climbed over the wall and quickly spotted the target. Lying on the grass, near the pond, Kozaku Yukimura was watching the Koi carps swimming in the troubled waters.

In the blink of an eye, he was behind the man. The old man did not even have time to scream. His throat was neatly sliced with a kunai. The blood slowly dripped on the ground, quickly making a little pool of crimson fluid on the grass, flowing down into the pond, tainting the water.

Itachi wiped the kunai on the man's clothes. A mere second after, there was no one in the garden. No one but a dead corpse lying on the grass, and Koi carps swimming among bloody waters.

He lay down on the bed as soon as he went back to the inn. He hadn't slept for four days. Now was a good time to sleep a few hours. He could report to Leader afterwards. Akatsuki would have to wait. He closed his eyes, listening to his own breath, silently checking out for any possible threat. He could not afford to fall fast asleep.

He thought about his little Cherry Blossom. The pictures were blurry as he tried to remember how she looked like. When was the last time he had properly seen her? … Probably a long, long time ago. He still went at least once a week to watch her, but he could only deduce from her chakra how she moved, how she talked, smiled…because his eyesight was now too poor for him to _**see**_ her face, her hair, her smile. The last time he had truly _**seen **_her was probably when she had turned thirteen.

He didn't even know what she looked like now.

He didn't know the details of her face.

Her hair was pink but were the roots a darker shade?

Her eyes were green when she was a young girl, had they become darker? fiercer? softer?

Her lips were rosy when he had first met her…were they still the same? looking as plump, as attractive as they had?

His memories were so blurry. Like old pictures.

He still remembered the first time they had met. At that time, his eyes had fallen upon her back. He had been unfazed by her sobs. Her cries had made her entire body shake. She had been bullied. For her large forehead, would he later learn. Not that her forehead was that horrible. He actually found it quite cute.

But when he had made her turn around, he had immediately been drawn to her large, doe-like emerald eyes that shone with tears. He did not remember what he had thought of her at that time. But now he knew that she would always be special. She already was.

_I'll put a spell on you,  
You'll fall asleep,  
I'll put a spell on you,  
And when I wake you,  
I'll be the first thing you see,  
And you'll realize that you love me. _

_

* * *

_

_**Konohagure. 36**__**th**__** day, Year 10 of the Sandaime's Era. 08 pm. **_

The sky was a clear blue. Itachi stepped in the village, fully clothed in his Anbu uniform. He had successfully completed his mission. An assassination. It had been easy. Too easy. Almost mechanically, his fingers had gripped the kunai…and a second after, the man's head had been rolling on the ground. It was almost a…routine now.

Spot. Track. Kill. Clean. Go back to the village. Eat. Sleep. And spot again. Track again. Kill…kill…kill.

"Ha! You're so ugly! Why would someone like you want to be a ninja?"

"You were even abandoned by your parents!"

"Ugly!"

"Ugly!"

He snorted. Were those _**bullies**_ the next generation of ninjas? Pathetic. He walked towards the street from where the abuses and tiny, muffled sobs could be heard.

He took in the scene. A group of seven children were surrounding another child, lying prostrate on the ground. It was a girl. Her forehead had been ground into the earth. The white robe was soiled. Her hair … Her _pink_ hair was covered with mud.

Her entire body shook every time she sobbed.

"What are you doing?"

"Wha-" The angry one was apparently the leader of the group. Not a beauty, Itachi thought. She had very common hair. Brown hair. Very common features. Nothing remarkable.

"It's the Uchiha!" whispered a little girl.

"It- It's not your business!"

"Hey! We'd better go away!" the other girl pressed her.

"I have no business with mere children like you. Move. You're blocking the path."

The other children took their leader's hand and forced her to go away. Itachi snorted. Children were so easily scared. He turned his attention to the girl who had been bullied. She was still sobbing. He eyed her with utter indifference. He hated those who were weak. He crouched down but did nothing else.

After a while he heard her tiny voice.

"G-go a-away…"

"Hn"

He didn't budge. She slowly lifted her head. His eyes met shining emeralds. It took his breath away. Beautiful. He stared at her.

"Y-You think I-I-I'm u-ugly ri-right? Go a-away…" she sobbed once more. He contemplated her petite form.

_What a waste_, he thought. She was so cute and yet here she was, covered with dirt and mud. Thanks Kami that she was not the type of person who looks ugly when crying. Then that would be more than a waste. There were people who, when crying, become a snotty, crying, unidentifiable jelly. And there are some who only become more beautiful. This little girl was of the latter. Not that it made Itachi happy to see her cry. But the tears only made her eyes shine even more and her skin look paler.

"Come with me" he said.

He stood up and held his hand. She didn't move. He sighed and abruptly took her right hand. He didn't wait for her to calm down and merely dragged her to his home.

"Let me go!" she screamed.

He didn't pay her any attention. His strides were slow, just to make sure that she didn't trip and fall. They now faced a large compound. The Uchiha Compound. He didn't let go of her hand. She had stopped screaming. Her voice surely had become hoarse from crying and screaming so much. He pushed the sliding doors and stepped in, forcing the little girl to follow him. Her head was bent down and she had not even shown any sign of amazement or wonder upon seeing his home. What a strange girl. Many people wished to enter the Uchiha Compound, and yet, here she was, not caring about her surroundings. But then again, she was probably more worried about what he wanted to do.

"I'm not here to bully you, silly" The words escaped his mouth before he could react. It surprised him. He usually thought twice before speaking.

"Really?" she stared at him suspiciously, her large eyes narrowing.

He suppressed a snort. She had been so defenseless and pitiful a while ago when those pathetic children were bullying him, and when faced with him, Uchiha Itachi, she was acting so strong-headed. A mystery.

"Okaa-san" he simply said.

They stood there, Itachi waiting for his mother to come, Sakura not quite knowing what she was doing there. He still held her little hand in his. He could feel that she was tense. A few minutes after, they heard light, poised footsteps. A woman, perhaps 35 or 40 years old, stepped in the room, a light smile gracing her features.

"Itachi, you're back!" she beamed at him.

"Hn"

He put a hand in the girl's back and silently pushed her towards his mother.

"Who's that?"

"She's been bullied"

His mother shot him an understand look and crouched down so that she could look at the girl's face. She smiled.

"I'm Mikoto. What's your name?"

"…Sa-Sakura". Despite her trembling voice, Sakura shot an unwavering stare at the woman in front of her with her doe-like eyes.

"Where are your parents?"

"…They left for a mission" Sakura whispered. She bit her lower lip, obviously trying not to cry.

Mikoto reached for Sakura's pink hair. The child recoiled and glanced at her warily. Mikoto chuckled and ruffled gently her hair.

"Let's make you clean, okay? You can stay here for a while since your parents aren't here"

Itachi said nothing but he knew that they would have to persuade his father to let Sakura stay. Uchiha Fugaku was strict. Being the most influent clan in Konoha, they were respected, feared and adored. No one was to step on the Uchiha grounds, unless specifically invited. And surely, Sakura would be thrown out as soon as Fugaku would see her. He wondered how his mother intended to make Sakura stay here.

Mikoto took the child's hand and glanced back at her son. He stared and turned away. She sighed. Itachi had not had a happy childhood. Training, sparring, killing…he had not known the warmth a family could provide. But then again, it was a characteristic of the Uchiha clan. Every male was trained as soon as he could walk. Everyone in the Uchiha clan existed for only one purpose: become the strongest shinobi.

Mikoto did not understand why everyone seemed so attached to becoming the strongest. And she did not understand why Itachi had followed his father's orders so obediently.

But deep in her heart, she knew no one could escape the Clan's orders.

And her sons were no exception. It did not help that Itachi was a genius. Sasuke was having a happier childhood since Fugaku's attention was entirely focused on his elder son.

_So emotionless…So…sad…_ That was what she thought every time she looked at her beloved Itachi.

She turned back her attention to the little girl and smiled.

She pushed her into the bathroom and helped her undress. Sakura remained silent the whole time. A small sad smile adorned Mikoto's face as she bathed Sakura. If she had a daughter, she could bathe her like that. She would make her lots of sweets, brush her hair every day, put cute ribbons in her hair, and buy her cute dresses and skirts. Everyone had dreams. Everyone wanted something they couldn't have. Mikoto only wanted a daughter.

"Stay here for a while, Sakura. I'll go get some clothes, okay?"

"Uh uh" Sakura nodded, her eyelids half-closed. Mikoto chuckled. The little girl was obviously sleepy. She had probably lost a lot of energy from crying and the hot bath had put her at ease, making her want to sleep.

Mikoto had no clothes that could fit Sakura. She had no daughter, and her old clothes had long since been burnt. She decided going to the nearest shop would be the best solution. Hopefully no one but Itachi was in the Compound so Sakura wouldn't be disturbed by anyone.

She trotted down the streets and stopped in front of a small, shabby shop. She frowned and eyed the clothes with hawk-like eyes. Unlike the appearance of the shop, the clothes were quite normal. She entered the shop. Immediately, the shopkeeper rushed to her side. She suppressed a snort. Of course, the shopkeeper had recognized the _great Uchiha_…And even if he did not know her face, he had at least noticed that her clothes were of the best quality. Which meant that she was wealthy. So much for money…

"What can I do for you, my Lady?" The shopkeeper asked in a horribly mellifluous voice. Actually, if Mikoto had to describe it, she would rather say that it was literally _**dripping**_ with _**hypocrisy.**_

"I want two dresses, one white and the other pink, three or four shirts and two skirts white and pink for a four…five years old girl. And some underwear too. "

"Yes! Of course…of course…"

He scampered to the back of the shop and came back with several clothes.

"Would you like to take a look at it, my Lady?"

"Yes, please."

She took the clothes and inspected them. The white dress was very cute, with a big ribbon in the middle, just above the chest area, and little frills at the bottom edge. The pink dress was simpler as the only decoration consisted in the image of a little cherry that had been sewn on the dress. There were pink, white, black, green, light and dark blue, yellow, red, grey, fuchsia, lavender shirts. She picked a green one, two dark blue shirts, a fuchsia one and two red ones. The skirts were simple. No frills. No ribbon. Same for the underwear. The Uchiha matriarch eyed all of it with a satisfied eye.

It was what she wanted. She paid for the clothes and quickly went back.

Sakura was still waiting in the bath. Strangely enough, she had not fallen asleep. Mikoto helped her going out of the bath and carefully dried her clean. She handed her white underwear and the white dress.

Sakura put on her clothes without speaking.

"Look at yourself! You're so cute!" Mikoto pushed Sakura in front of a mirror and stood behind her, smiling broadly. Sakura merely stared at her reflection and turned her head towards the woman.

"Is it okay?...The-the clothes…"

"Don't worry, little Sakura-chan! You keep them! Here, come with me. I've got to cook."

Sakura nodded slowly and followed Mikoto. It was awkward. She did not know the boy who had helped her, nor did she know this woman and yet they had helped her. Bathed her. And she had even been given clothes.

Now that she was calm, she noticed that the house was actually very big. Huge. They were walking and walking and walking. Why were there so many rooms between the kitchen and the bathroom?

"Okaa-san."

"Oh, Itachi!"

Sakura flung her head to the right. The boy who had helped her was standing there. She hadn't heard him approach. She stared at him wide-eyed. He looked gentle. He had long black hair. Dark eyes. A pale complexion. Two lines under the eyes. Probably by lack of sleep, she thought.

Itachi stared back. The girl he had seen a few hours ago was not any longer. Now, he was faced with a white dress, a rosy face, a large forehead that was not tainted by mud.

"Look, isn't she all pretty now?" Mikoto asked gaily.

"Hn."

As he answered, he looked at the little girl. Charcoal met emerald.

It was the first time Itachi gazed directly at Sakura's eyes. A few months after, emerald would meet crimson and then never remember.

_I'll put a spell on you,  
You'll fall asleep 'cos I'll put a spell on you,  
And when I wake you,  
I'll be the first thing you see,  
And you'll realize that you love me, yeah..._

_yeah...  
yeah...  
yeah...  
yeah..._

* * *

So you aren't confused I'll once again make a little recap:

Tsukinohebigure

* Year 5 of the Sanyo's era

-137th day : 12am Sakura trains. Her parents watch her.

-137th day: 12 pm Slaughter. Sakura is 4 year old.

Konohagure

*Year 10 of the Sandaime's era

-36th day : Sakura meets Itachi for the first time **. **She's 7 year old, Itachi's 12.

* Year 11 of the Sandaime's era

-18th day : Itachi slaughters his family. He's 13.

- 214th day : Ino becomes friends with Sakura. Sakura and Ino are 8 year old.

* Year 12 of the Sandaime's era

Naruto learns about Sakura's monthly visit to the hospital. Itachi watches from afar.

Sakura and Naruto are 9 year old. Itachi is 15.

* Year 7 of the Godaime's era

-183th day : Tsunade gives the Jounin appliance to Sakura.

-238th day : Sakura's 16th anniversary. (Itachi is 22)

-239th day : Sakura receives a gift whose sender she does not know.

- 241th day : Jounin competition.


	3. Reminiscing

**Anime/Manga : **Naruto

**Chapter : **3

**Status : **On-going

**Pairing : **Uchiha Itachi / Haruno Sakura

**Rating : ** T (for now. Perhaps I'll change it to M)

**Words: **8 354

**It's a ****fan-fiction**!** Otherwise, there would be no Itachi at all… **

Thank you all for liking my story. I'll do my best to make sure that you continue to read it and put it in your Story alerts and/or favorites. I updated this chapter a bit quicker because, well, I was motivated by the number of your clicks lol. However I can't promise that the chapter 4 will be updated as quick as this one.

**IMPORTANT ! Please read what follows **

**N/A :** Sorry, I did my best to make the ages and dates realistic but I noticed the slaughter of Sakura's family was actually an error…Indeed, if she's 4 year old, and Orochimaru is already at the head of Otogakure, that would mean that Itachi would already be part of the Akatsuki…but at that time Itachi is only 10… Sorry if it bothers you, but I can't really change my plot now. So please bear with this irrational detail.

* * *

**Reminiscing**

_**

* * *

Konohagure. 240th day. Year 7 of the Godaime's Era. Konoha's hospital. 07 am**_

"Sakura-chan !"

The door was thrown open and Naruto barged in the room. Sakura didn't even bother to turn around and sensing Sai's chakra behind her, focused once again on her patient.

"Sai."

"That will cost you a meal, Ugly"

And without any warning, Sai punched Naruto. The young Genin whom Sakura was healing gasped. Sakura made an annoyed sound and the young girl froze, a deep blush adorning her cheeks.

"Don't move too much, it makes it difficult for me to join my chakra to yours"

"O-okay…"

"HEY! What was that for, Teme?" Naruto exclaimed, apparently having recovered from the shock.

"Dickless" shot back Sai, almost out of habit.

"TEME! You-"

"Sai!" Sakura shot angrily, her eyes never leaving the young girl.

Sai punched once again Naruto, though the blonde partially avoided the hit.

"That will be two meals, Ugly."

"Sakura-chaaaan! Teme is-"

"Please, Naruto, shut up!" Sakura exploded. She turned around and, taking in her friend's dejected expression, softened immediately and added in a gentler voice "It's a hospital here. I'll be finished soon so wait for me outside, okay?"

Naruto grinned at her which earned him a sigh from Sakura and a blank stare from Sai. He quickly left, bouncing out of the hospital room. Sai stayed behind the kunoichi and leant against the wall. He observed Sakura focusing on her task, her hands glowing a soft green.

Absent-mindedly, he noted that the young Genin seemed more and more relaxed as the seconds passed. He knew this feeling all too well. He hadn't ever been healed by the Hokage, but Sakura had healed him so many times that he had come to think about her as their team's assigned medic-nin. He didn't know if people had a special word for describing this but whenever she would heal him, he would feel at peace.

At first, there would be a stinging pain when she put her hands on the wounds, then he would feel her chakra begin to flow into his system, probe, repair and heal. It was also very warm.

By now, Sakura had finished healing the girl and sat on a chair. She turned her head to look at her silent teammate. She smiled. Sai may look a bit…brooding to anyone, but Sakura and Naruto knew him best. Lately, he had become quite good at reading people's emotions, moods, atmospheres… Honestly, she felt proud of herself as Sai had come to her several times to ask about "the ways to socialize". She liked to think that Sai's newly acquired gentles and thoughtfulness was the result of her advice.

"Sai…you- Did you come to my house last night?"

He stared at her.

"Yes"

"…Why?"

"I had something to give you"

She narrowed her eyes at him. Sai couldn't possibly be her "secret admirer" - as Ino had called the anonymous person - could he?

"Here." He took out something out of his pocket and stepped forward to hand her the box.

"So- You didn't leave anything at my house, right?"

"No. What, is there a problem, Ugly?"

She continued to watch him. They stayed like that for a few minutes when Sakura abruptly shook her head, as if to forget something. Her smile was a little forced as she stood up.

"No, nothing."

She opened the box and stopped dead in her tracks. Sai suppressed his smirk. He knew she would react like that. It was just like her to be all emotional like that.

"Is it- Is…Is it …" she barely managed to croak before her voice ended in an unintelligible whisper.

"You better take care of it, Ugly"

"Y-yeah…"

That was the first time Sai had given _**this**_ to anyone. _**This**_, the ink and the scrolls were all his life. They were his best weapons in a fight. They were his best friends when he was painting, all alone in his apartment. He had decided that he liked Sakura enough to give her a scroll and some drops of his precious ink for her to paint or use it in a battle. She already knew how to do it. He had more or less explained it to her once, as she had come over to his apartment to eat lunch with him.

He supposed she was the only person he would truly name a _friend_. Naruto too. Even though people always saw the both of them insult each other, he actually enjoyed being around Naruto. The blonde was lively and annoying but his cheerfulness and his happiness were enough for two. Where he lacked joyfulness, Sai felt that he could count on Naruto to remedy it.

"Thank you, Sai" Sakura whispered as she put her hand on the doorknob and stepped out.

Her friend did not reply. He gave a ghost of a smile behind her. Not a fake smile. A genuine one.

"Sakura-chaaaaan!"

As soon as she stepped in the sunlight, Sakura was assaulted by a fuzzy blonde ball.

The pinkette sighed and glanced at her blonde friend. That's when she noticed that there were actually two blonde heads.

"What are you doing here, Ino-Pig?" she asked, not sourly at all.

"Why, not happy about me being here, Forehead Girl?" Ino's smile dripped with sarcasm. Sakura knew it was just to anger her. "I'm here to talk with Naruto of course! How could you omit to tell him about your secret admirer ?"

Sakura let out a deep sigh. So that's what it was about. That's why Ino was smirking at her. And that's why Naruto was looking at her with large, shiny puppy eyes.

"Look, it's my problem, so don't bother okay?" She snapped at the fox boy.

"But Sakura-chan…" Naruto whined. Sakura could already see Naruto begging on the ground while staring at her with eyes full of tears.

"C'mon Sai, I owe you two meals"

"Good that you remember Ugly"

Sakura snorted and left, Sai quickly catching up with her. Naruto stayed there, gaping like a fish at their backs. Ino pouted and let out an angry growl.

"How dare she ignore us?"

"Sakura-chaaaan !" Naruto's plaint was lost in the wind. He faked an overly large pout and quickly recovered, running after his friends. The young Yamanaka snorted with as much dignity as she could manage and slowly made her way towards them as well. If Sakura was going to ignore them on this matter, might as well make her treat them all to a meal…

_

* * *

_

_Love was something she did not need. Love was an asinine thing. Love was the downfall of all beings._

_**

* * *

Amegakure. 06 am. Exact location unknown. **_

"Yo"

Itachi stepped aside and let his long-time partner come in the room. He quietly closed the door and went to sit on the only chair that was around. Kisame plopped to the bed. A soft creak was heard. Kisame raised an eyebrow at it.

"This hotel seems like shit. It's not even a bed…Is it a century-old?" he muttered.

"Leader sent you?" Itachi asked, not even bothering to talk about the _quality_ of this hotel.

"Yeah. Seems like there'll be some Sound meat arriving tonight or tomorrow" The shark-nin grinned widely, letting his white, pointy teeth show through.

Itachi merely nodded once and let his eyes fall upon his Akatsuki ring. After all, it was not as if he could really see it. He barely distinguished its contours and its color, but the kanji was already non-existent to his eyes. He heard his partners sigh and fully lie down on the bed.

"Did you already do your other mission? The one with the old man who groped Konan?"

"Hn."

Kisame nodded thoughtfully. Over the years, he had become accustomed to the ever-unchanging vocabulary of the Uchiha. "Hn", "Let's go", "Kisame", "No business of yours" were his main words. Sentences made of six words or more were rare. It was the same with facial expressions. A blank expression seemed to be his favorite. A scowl was sometimes adorning his features. An angry scowl…thinking of it, Kisame didn't recall Itachi ever showing any signs of angriness. A smile….well, Kisame wondered if the boy even _knew_ how to smile. It was as if the Uchiha was a machine.

A killing machine.

Itachi stood up. His cloak rustled a bit. Kisame's eyes shot open. The shark-nin grunted but stood up nonetheless. He followed the smaller man out of the room. If Itachi was going out, that meant their little meals were ready. After all, Itachi was a master at reading chakra. Never once had he ever proven to be wrong during all the years Kisame had spent with him. During a mission, Itachi would always suddenly say : "they're here" or "the target is here". And then, a few minutes after, Kisame would eventually sense their chakra, or see them. He didn't even doubt Itachi's judgment. That was what partners were, he supposed.

In the streets, they stood out. Even if Amegakure was well-known by missing-nins and bandits of all sorts, the heavy dark cloaks with red clouds Akatsuki wore undoubtedly gave their identities away. Only their faces were hidden under the straw hats. People were looking at them warily. It was only natural. Even missing-nins, roughened by their generally solitary and full of hardships life, did not stand a chance against Akatsuki members. They were mere flies.

Itachi moved to the left, towards the doors of the village. Kisame followed him.

As they stepped out of the village, the chime of little bells echoed and lingered in the air.

In front of them, there was nothing else but plain earth. Some trees and some tufts of grass but not much, even though they were in Rain Country. They soon saw nins arrive, running towards the village. Itachi and Kisame did not budge. There were at least fifteen Sound-nins. Nothing they couldn't handle by themselves. Their enemies stopped dead as soon as their eyes fell upon the two still forms. They took a fighting stance.

"Akatsuki…What an honor…" one of a ninja drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm and self-confidence.

Kisame scoffed at the Sound ninja. Seemed like this one had pushed the Orochimaru-fanaticism a bit too far…If it weren't for the round face framed with light brown bangs, he could have mistook this voice for Orochimaru's. It already unnerved him. And Samehada was growing more and more impatient too.

He snorted as he noticed Itachi had already made his move and sent a shadow clone behind the Sound nin who was the farthest from them. He should draw out Samehada, or else the Uchiha would have all the fun…Not really what he wanted. He licked his dry lips and swung Samehada over his shoulder.

The Sound Nins smirked. Then they stiffened as a piercing cry echoed in the empty land. Itachi had already taken care of his target. The corpse hit the ground with a dull thud, the wound Itachi had inflicted with his kunai dripping with blood. The earth hungrily drank the liquid.

Fourteen or more to take care of.

Kisame wasn't surprised as the other Sound nins didn't rush over to their comrade's side but, instead, flung themselves in their direction. Sound nins were not particularly over-attached to each other. They were like missing-nins. No ties. No affection. No friends. No lovers. Just….fight. Until the death.

However, their rush made things all the more easier for Itachi and Kisame. Itachi hadn't moved since the beginning of the fight. His shadow clone killed another Sound Ninja who couldn't even react. Kisame waited for two Sound Nins to lunge at him. He grinned, revealing sharp teeth and his sword came into contact with some clothes and then with soft, tender flesh. Samehada quivered, excited to taste chakra, flesh and blood.

Soon, the Sound nins were nothing but a heap of bloody corpses lying on the ground.

The two Akatsukis were not even sweating. They had done very little movements. Itachi had let his shadow clone do all the work, Kisame had just flung his sword in the enemy's direction.

Kisame eyed distastefully the scene and cursed. Those pathetic nins weren't even worth their time….Honestly, he had expected a little more fun. What a pity.

As they got back to the inn, Itachi let his thoughts drift away…to a certain pink-haired kunoichi. He wondered what she was doing. Was she sparring? Fighting? Had she been sent on a mission? Was she eating? Laughing with her friends? His gaze clouded as he let himself be carried far, far away from Amegakure. Under the hat, it was unnoticeable.

Even when they stepped into their room and put their cloaks and hats on the chair, the elder Uchiha was still thinking about Sakura. He did not utter a word and lay down on the bed which creaks. His eyes fully open, he stared at the yellowish ceiling. The paint had flaked, leaving small surfaces blank. Where the paint had stayed, the dust combined with water marks had left yellowish spots. It was ridiculously horrible. But, he thought, they were in a low-class inn…of course they shouldn't expect to have pure white, shining walls, king-sized beds, well-washed bed sheets, sparkling, polished, waxed floors.

_Sparkling_….That did remind him of someone.

Someone's eyes.

A little girl's eyes.

He tried to reminisce. It was hard. His memories were clear when it came to the slaughter of his own family. They were a bit hazy when it came to Sasuke's bright smile, Mikoto's soothing words and Fugaku's stern face. They were…scattered, when it came to Sakura. Because there were so many pictures of her face engraved in his head that he did not know which one to remember.

But there was one particular time he clearly remembered. The little girl's eyes had sparkled. So intensely that he had wondered if she had gone out at night to steal the stars and lock them in her eyes.

At that time, she had looked up at him, wonder evident in her gaze.

A gaze that he had not seen on anyone else's face.

A gaze that he had not seen since … since a very long time.

* * *

_The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart. _

_(Saint Jerome)_

_**

* * *

Konohagure. **__**78**__**th**__** day, Year 10 of the Sandaime's Era. 02pm. Uchiha's training grounds. **_

Itachi jumped in the air, briefly closing his eyes. He knew where the targets were.

30 degrees to the right. 45 degrees to the left. In his back, behind the stone. 2 meters above his head, on the trunk of the tree in front of him. The tree was at least 3 meters away. He threw two kunais. He flipped backwards and sent two other kunais towards the first ones. They hit each other, clanging sharply. The first two kunais respectively hit the center of the target behind the stone and on the trunk. The last two kunais hit the other targets. All had hit the targets' bull's-eye.

"Woah!"

Itachi turned around. He took in the little girl's flushed, rosy face and sparkling eyes. He smiled.

Earlier this morning, he had seen Sakura in the streets. She had been desperately trying to find something to keep her busy, since her parents were once again on a mission. Upon seeing her, he had invited her at his mansion. Today was the day his father was supposed to hold a meeting with the other clans' heads of Konoha. Thus he had judged it safe for Sakura to come and eat at the Uchiha's.

Indeed, the first time Fugaku had seen Sakura, as Itachi had foreseen it, he had not liked the little girl. Only Mikoto's soothing words had refrained the Uchiha patriarch from kicking the girl out of their grounds. From time to time, Mikoto would invite Sakura to their house, mainly when the child's parents were on mission and when Fugaku was not here.

But the rare times when Sakura would come while Fugaku was here, the stern man would simply ignore her. And Sakura would stubbornly bend her head, as if she had done something wrong.

Sasuke had been thrilled to have a child of his age around him. But, earlier, he had frowned when Itachi had told him he would walk a bit with Sakura. Itachi knew exactly why his little brother had been dissatisfied with it. Sasuke had hoped to use this day to train with Itachi. It was always like that. Sasuke would come to him, asking him to train with him and teach him new moves and jutsus. Itachi would beckon to him and poke him on the forehead, saying "Forgive me, Sasuke. Next time". And then Sasuke would pout and exclaim "You always say that, Nii-san!". And if Itachi said "Ask Father to teach you", Sasuke would automatically reply "But you're better than him!"

Itachi chuckled softly. It made him a bit sad to have left his brother alone, but he did not regret choosing Sakura over his own brother. He felt at peace when he was with his brother. He felt happy when he was with Sakura. These were two different feelings.

He watched the little girl run up to him, her pink hair framing her round head.

"That was _so_ amazing!" she tugged at his black shirt with her little, thin fingers and looked up at him, staring at him with her big, doe-like eyes.

He took in her large eyes that were shining. Full of admiration. Trust. Amazement. Awe. Love.

He patted her head with his bare hands, enjoying the contact as he let his fingers linger on her soft hair.

"You want to learn?" he asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, her grin widening if it was even possible.

He chuckled. He vaguely wondered what his brother would say if he knew he was about to teach some moves to Sakura. Moves Sasuke had desperately wanted to learn from him.

He gently guided Sakura to the centre of the clearing. She stood there, unafraid, her face flushed with excitement. He smiled upon seeing her impatience for learning. He put two kunais in her left hand.

"For now, just try to hit two targets. The one at the left, and the one at the right. Focus on them. Jump. Hit" he told her.

"Yes!"

He stepped back and observed her. She inhaled deeply and gripped tightly the kunais. He saw her jump. Then release her grip on her kunais. One of them fell on the ground with a thud. The other hit the target, though not the bull's-eye.

Sakura frowned, her mouth forming a cute pensive pout. She turned towards him, her displeasure clearly showing.

"Ita-chan, I failed!" she simply said. She looked at him intently. He laughed quietly and made his way towards her.

"It's normal not to succeed at your first try"

"But you did it perfectly with four kunais!" she shot back almost indignantly.

"I trained" he replied. Actually, it was true, but it was also a bit false. He had trained, but he had successfully hit all the targets at his first attempt.

"Then what's wrong with me?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing" he merely said, still chuckling a bit "just try again. Focus well on the targets. If you fail once again, then try again and again, until you succeed"

"Okay!"

He took her little hands in his and slowly started to explain her how to evaluate the distances and the angles before jumping. It was more effective that way.

"Then, when you're in the air, if you're at the exact point you imagined in your head, you should know at what distance you're from each target"

"Then..if I'm thinking about jumping here" she pointed above her head "let's say…at 2 meters, then…then…then-" she paused, putting a finger on her lower lip, trying hard to think "it'll be 40 degrees to the right and 55 degrees to the left?" she finished with a bright smile, looking at him expectantly.

He jumped higher than her. Besides, he had also the habit to jump a bit ahead of his initial position, and not in a perfect vertical line. So it would make sense that the targets would be farther from her.

He nodded at her. Needless to say, he was impressed by her quick intellect. She was rather quick at thinking. It was a good thing. Some shinobis preferred strength and knowledge over intellect, but Itachi thought intellect was important. He himself had not much stamina, not much strength, but he was highly esteemed by fellow Chuunins as he was a "genius" and the planner of most of their missions. He was the only one who actually seemed able to properly _**think**_ : he usually thought about what different turns each mission could take. He prepared each mission with extreme carefulness. He always made a "danger scale". Each mission could be an easy one as well as a difficult one. Nothing happened faster than an accident. It only needed the intervention of an uninvited guest…something enemy villages' ninjas loved to do.

Last time, during a D-rank mission, they had been unexpectedly attacked by rogue ninjas. His companions had been surprised and had not quite known what to do, except to fight. Itachi had weighed the enemy up and upon seeing that they were not that strong, had swiftly elaborated a battle plan. They had quickly incapacitated the rogue ninjas. Only thanks to Itachi's mind. Sometimes he wondered why dumb people were allowed to be ninjas.

He watched as Sakura tried again. Failed again.

And she tried. Failed. Tried for the fourth time. Succeeded in hitting the two targets.  
Tried again. Frowned and huffed. Tried. Succeeded in hitting each target's bull's-eye.

He clapped. She giggled and ran to him, clutching his sleeve in her little fist.

"I did it! Did you see?" she asked, clearly overjoyed.

"I saw. Very good."

"Will you teach me how to do the trick with the four targets?" she pleaded. He looked at her, amused by her eagerness.

"Why don't you try using what I told you for the two kunais?" his eyes twinkled "If you think about it a little, I'm sure you'll do well"

He handed her two other kunais, then left her and went to sit on a rock. She stood there for a long moment, chewing on her lower lip, trying to figure out how she should do the whole move.

He saw her face lighten, and knew she had found an answer.

She jumped, threw two kunais, never leaving them out of her sight, and then made the last two kunais hit the first ones. Three kunais embedded themselves in the target's bull's-eye. The target behind the rock was not hit. She had probably made an error when evaluating the angle. The fourth kunai had hit the second one a bit lower than it should have. It should have hit it right in the middle. Instead it had hit it on the lower part of the handle.

Sakura tried again. And failed again. After a couple of tries, all the targets were hit in the bull's-eye.

She jumped in the air out of joy and giggled. Itachi gently praised her and ruffled her hair. She laughed, her pink, slightly disheveled hair gently cupping her rosy cheeks and framing her big green eyes that were staring at him with awe. She was innocent. So innocent.

She was his sun. She brought it warmth. Love.

It was irrational but she had become one of her important people. She, who had been nothing but a stranger to him just a few months ago.

* * *

_E__veryone has something as important: parents, siblings, friends, lovers […]It's beyond reason._

_(Umino Iruka - __Naruto_)

_**

* * *

Konohagure. 241th day. Year 7 of the Godaime's Era. 06pm. Arena. **_

Sakura had gotten up early this morning. Earlier than usual. She had gone to bed earlier too. Today was her Jounin test. She was a bit anxious. No matter how much Tsunade had reassured her, saying that she had gotten strong enough to be even part of the Anbu special forces, the word 'weak' had always haunted her. And it would continue to do so. What if she didn't pass? What if she was judged too weak to be a Jounin?

She didn't have time to dwell more on these vapid thoughts as she felt someone approach. She turned around and was faced with the trademark eyesmile of her sensei. Former sensei. Kakashi-sensei.

She stared at him.

"Hello, Sakura-chan" his mask adopted the shape of his lips as he looked at her, smiling.

"Won't there be other people?" she asked.

"Mm, I think Genma or Kurenai should come but they are both a bit busy lately. Perhaps it will be Gai. But if you're thinking about the applicants, then no, you're the only one"

"Seriously?"

"Yes…Hokage-sama thought you were the only one good enough to take the test"

"Yeah…Everyone else is already Jounin…"

"You'll become one soon too. Hokage-sama told me you had gotten strong. She told me you may even have surpassed her…"

He eyed her. Little Sakura had grown so much. When he had fought against her for the first time after she had trained under Tsunade, he had already seen that she would be strong. Even at that time, when her skills were still a bit rough, he had already seen that she would become better than her teacher. With Tsunade's inhumane strength, perfect chakra control, medical knowledge and her unique abilities in genjutsu -something Tsunade _did not _possess-, he had predicted that his once weak female student would become one of the strongest shinobis out here. And it seemed he had not been wrong. Even Tsunade had sensed that Sakura was close to surpass her.

Sakura shrugged, not really willing to indulge in Kakashi's gentle words. She wouldn't let her guard down. She had to be aware, she couldn't make any mistake.

Soon, Kurenai came in. Sakura repressed the urge to sigh. Great…It meant she was in for a lot of genjutsu… The two older nins stood side by side and looked at her.

"Haruno Sakura, your test begins now. Just do what you think you have to do"

And with that, Kakashi and Kurenai were nowhere to be seen. Sakura scoffed. Was that it? No particular order? Nothing to retrieve? No one to fight? Nothing to show?

Then…she might as well trail the two Jounins and make them hit the dirt.

A vicious smirk spread over her face and her eyes glinted. Then, there was no one in the arena.

The two Jounins had done a good job at concealing their chakra. But they were not the best shinobis on earth. And Sakura knew it. Neither had perfect chakra control as Sakura had. She closed her eyes briefly and searched for any tiny, very tiny flow of chakra. There were many chakras around. Even the civilians had some. Not in great quantity but enough to move, eat, smile, live. There were stronger chakras: Genins's ones, Chuunin's ones, Jounins' ones, Tsunade's… Her eyes snapped open. Here. There were two chakras. It was faint. In fact, _**too**_ faint to be real. It was not the tiny amount civilians had. It was not even equal to the chakra Genins exuded. It was nearly non-existent. But it wasn't non-existent.

She sped up. A few miles ahead, Kurenai and Kakashi looked at each other. Sakura had found them. They nodded and both took a different direction. Kakashi continued to head towards the forest, while Kurenai took the direction of the Land of Waves (Nami no Kuni). There, there would be no interferences since this country had no ninja. It was perfect.

She was quite impatient to see what kind of fighter the Hokage's student was. Kakashi had told her Sakura was quite good at genjutsu…It would be fun.

Sakura sensed the two sources of chakra split. She briefly pondered on which one she should go after. She decided she should probably go after Kakashi, since he was closer. She continued to trail him, lightly stepping on the boughs. The faint source of chakra wasn't progressing any longer. She stopped. Kakashi-sensei was just here. Behind this tree. The tree in front of her. She suppressed completely her chakra and smirked. Unlike him, she had perfect chakra control. He would not be able to sense her.

Kakashi silently cursed. That little squirrel! She had hidden her presence. And she was good at it! He threw a kunai at the last spot he had sensed her. He figured she wasn't her anymore but decided to try it out nonetheless. As he had predicted, the kunai hit nothing but the trunk of a tree.

"Kakashi-sensei…"

As soon as he heard the whisper, he didn't even look behind him, but quickly made some signs. Sakura's kunai hit a clone.

He narrowed his eyes at her. She was so good at concealing her chakra that he hadn't sense her creep up on him. Kami-sama, she had been _behind_ him! She could have killed him. Without doubt.

Sakura hopped down on the ground. Before her feet touched the earth, her fist was already glowing blue. Kakashi swiftly stepped aside. Thank Kami he had not lost his skills as time passed…He eyed the well-destructed ground and stared at Sakura's fists. Since last time, her strength seemed to have increased. It was deadlier.

He sighed and lifted his hitai-ate, revealing his Sharingan. Sakura snickered. He lunged at her. She was not particularly good at taijutsu. She had brute strength, but she was average when it came to fighting with feet and legs. However, Sakura was quick to dodge his attacks. He squinted at her. Had she improved in taijutsu as well?

"Neiji-kun and Lee helped me…_sensei_"

Kakashi felt Sakura behind him once again and stiffened. How had she been so fast?

He jumped into the air. Wise decision, he thought, as he watched Sakura slice into the air with a kunai that seemed very…sharp. Above her, he threw several shurikens.

And that was when she surprised him most. She reached out for something on her back. From under her light black cloak, she pulled out a katana. Unsheathing it, she used both the sheath and the katana to repel all the weapons in what strangely resembled the Hyuuga's Hakkesho Kaiten (Heavenly Spin). Although it was a bit slower. The clattering sound the shurikens made as they fell on the ground, around Sakura's still form, was followed by a heavy silence.

And the fight resumed. Sakura stared at her teacher who was still standing above her head, in a tree. She lunged at him, her katana now sheathed, but still firmly held in the hand. To say that Kakashi was astonished was not an exaggeration. He had not known Sakura had learnt how to fight with a katana as well. How much stronger had she exactly become?

He felt the tip of her blade graze his throat as he flipped backwards barely in time.

"Kage bunshin no Jutsu"

Sakura smirked. She sent senbons and the clones disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kakashi would have to do better than that… She sent two kunais at him. He easily avoided them. That was what she was waiting for. The one who had sent the kunais was nothing but her clone. _She_ was behind Kakashi. She released chakra at once and hit Kakashi in the back with her foot. She cursed as another puff of smoke indicated that she had merely hit a clone. But it was useless to hide. She knew where he was. Behind her.

"Chidori"

The sound of chirping bird was already grazing her ears when she turned around, jumped back and swiftly made her own hands signs. She disappeared in a flurry of Sakura petals as Kakashi was about to hit her with the Chidori.

She reappeared, standing on the ground, only to have a shadow clone of Kakashi grab her ankle. She hissed, glaring at the head that emerged from under the ground. He was beginning to pull her when she used her free hand to throw shurikens at him. Kakashi's shadow clone smirked. It wouldn't work with him. However his eyes widened as the shurikens hit him. They were enveloped with chakra. The shadow clone disappeared. Sakura freed herself and went once again after the real Kakashi.

Kakashi was still in the tree, watching the scene from above. As soon as he saw Sakura moving, he began to make hand signs. She would probably sneak up on him from behind…

"Chido-"

Sakura was so close that their nose almost touched. Kakashi's eyes widened comically. Sakura had chosen to attack him from the front. The kunoichi held a victorious gleam in her vivid emerald eyes. Kakashi had no time to react. A punch in the stomach sent him flying through two successive trees. Some splinters of hard wood pierced through his uniform, scratching his skin. He clenched his fists.

"Rasengan!"

He ran, holding the sphere in his palm. Sakura did not move. He wondered if she had a trick up in her sleeve. Honestly, he hoped she had. He was supposed to evaluate her, not to kill her…

Sakura focused on the sphere of chakra. She had developed a new jutsu. She had created it all by herself, using what she knew of the Rasengan, the Chidori and the Hakkesho Kaiten. She had tested it once, while training. She did not know what it would result in against Kakashi… But she wanted to try it. Even if it failed, she could still heal herself after.

"Sakura Tateten" she whispered. (N/A: Sakura = cherry blossom , Tate = shield , Ten = Heavenly, but I'm not sure if this association of the words is correct. I just linked them together…)

A wall of sakura petals appeared, swirling all around her. Her lithe form was almost unseen as it was hidden under the sakura petals. Kakashi didn't have time to stop his Rasengan. The sphere hit the beautiful wall. At first, it seemed as if the Rasengan was easily making his way through the little eddy of petals. But it soon proved to be wrong. Kakashi stared as his Rasengan was progressively absorbed by the petals. The petals flew, leaving nothing behind. There was no hint that a Rasengan had ever been close to hit the young kunoichi.

She was standing, unharmed, wearing a victorious smirk.

And as Kakashi felt sleepiness overwhelm him, he understood. She had used the fact that he couldn't see her amid this flurry of petals to throw senbons at him. He had one senbons planted in his right forearm, another in his left biceps, and a last one in his left thigh. He mentally cursed his former student, a small smile on his lips. He thought about the past, reminiscing how weak Sakura had seemed compared to her two unique teammates. _You grew up well, Sakura…_

_

* * *

_

_There are admirable potentialities in every human being. Believe in your strength and your youth. _

_(Andre Gide)_

_**

* * *

Otogakure (in Ta no Kuni)**__**, 03pm. **__**Orochimaru's private rooms. Then Training Grounds.**_

"Orochimaru-sama"

A soft knock on the door.

"Come in, Kabuto" Orochimaru hissed.

The medic-nin stepped in, adjusting his glasses with a finger, as always. His eyes held a predatory gleam. Orochimaru knew his closest … servant…was going to announce him bad news. He had learnt to read Kabuto's face over the years.

"The ninjas we sent in Rain to gather information on the Akatsuki were all killed"

"I see" Orochimaru's displeasure clearly showed through his voice "Seems like I have to do everything by myself if I want it to succeed…" he drawled.

Kabuto smirked. A glint of malevolence flashed through his eyes as he stared at his master's pale face. Orochimaru stared back, his gaze highly daunting and contemptuous. Kabuto shrugged it off. He had become habituated to Orochimaru's slightly intimidating mimics.

"Why not send Sasuke? Perhaps we could see how much stronger he has become…"

"Send Sasuke after the Akatsuki? So Itachi kills him?" Orochimaru spat. His tone had become darker. Kabuto guessed he still resented Uchiha Itachi. After all the elder Uchiha was strong. Much stronger than his little brother. And he had a Sharingan that he had developed to its extreme. But taking the elder Uchiha as the next body for Orochimaru was out of question… he would not follow them out of his own will. What a pity.

"We could go with him and make sure he doesn't get killed. It's been a long time since Sasuke fought with someone of his standards. It's also been a long time since we evaluated the Kyuubi."

Orochimaru squinted his slit pupils at him. Kabuto did not flinch. He had become accustomed to the long, unnerving and cold stare of the Sannin. Finally Orochimaru averted his eyes, and slowly got up. Kabuto smirked. His proposition had been accepted.

They walked out of the room and made their way towards the training grounds where they would probably find Orochimaru's…_protégé_. If that was the right words to use. Kabuto would rather use the expression "Future_ container_". But he doubted Sasuke would be happy to hear those words.

They pushed open the door leading to the underground training grounds. They were greeted with the sound of kunais clattering against each other.

Sasuke flipped in the air, throwing kunais and shurikens. Four embedded in the targets in each corner of the room. Two hit the targets' bull's-eye on the walls at his left and right sides. He landed on the ground, slightly crouching, his stare unwavering and cold. He drew out his katana and jumped once again in the air. He countered one of the remaining kunais, sending it on the floor. It clattered.

His feet grazed the floor and he pushed, going in the air once again. He lunged at another kunai and sent it flying in the target at the far end of the room. He flipped backwards and hit the last kunai. It fell to the ground with a sickening thump.

He gracefully came down to the ground, no beads of sweat on his forehead. He calmly sheathed his katana. Not even bothering to turn around and face Orochimaru and Kabuto, he stood still.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice sounding a bit gruff.

"Sasuke-kun…" Orochimaru drawled, his tongue lingering on his name, as if savoring it "Prepare yourself. We're leaving"

"To where?" the raven-haired boy stubbornly shot back, obviously displeased about having to follow the Sannin.

Orochimaru smirked. "…To collect information about the Akatsuki's current objectives"

He let his words sink in and chuckled darkly as Sasuke finally turned around, his eyes already displaying a raw feeling of hatred.

"Let's go" the young Uchiha abruptly said.

Orochimaru let his protégé pass by him, noticing his tightly clenched fists and his tense jaw. Kabuto was ready to protest, clearly shocked by Sasuke's lack of respect towards Orochimaru. With a gesture, the Sannin quickly silenced his medic nin.

The three of them walked out of the training grounds. One was repressing his anger. The other was silently enjoying himself as he clearly felt the sheer hatred that emanated from the youngest man. The last was having mild thoughts, wondering how much longer Orochimaru would put up with the Uchiha's hateful attitude.

In the gloomy corridors, they met Suigetsu and Karin. Surprisingly Juugo was not with them. Orochimaru had noticed these three tended to spend more time with Sasuke. It was something he should be cautious about. He did not trust anyone. Not even Kabuto. And even less Sasuke.

Karin was obviously smitten with the Uchiha. It could become dangerous…

"Where are you going?" Karin asked, surprise showing on her face.

"Mind your own business" Kabuto replied with a sickening smile that dripped with sarcasm.

" don't you go and train? Sasuke-kun doesn't need to be under your watch" Orochimaru intervened, his voice laced with malice. He needed to remind her to who she belonged. She was a ninja of the Otogakure. She served him, Orochimaru. Sasuke should not be of any importance to her. He made sure his words held a clear warning.

Karin apparently understood it as she ferociously bit her lower lip, trying not to reply. She bowed and, her head still bent, walked away, Suigetsu following her. Sasuke hadn't uttered a word, his eyes holding a glazed look. Thinking about the best way to kill his brother.

* * *

_Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely._

_(Lord Acton)_

_**

* * *

Takigakure (in the Land of Waterfall?), 05 pm. Exact location unknown. **_

They had been running for about one or two hours now. Orochimaru was a bit numb. It had been long since he had run so much for a long time. And his arms were still… He gritted his teeth and hissed, the tip of his tongue slightly slithering out of his mouth.

Kabuto cast a worried glance at his master but did nothing. Sasuke was still ahead. He hadn't stopped once. Probably afraid of missing any chance to kill his brother, Kabuto thought sourly. Why did Orochimaru let this brat always act like he wanted to? Orochimaru was obviously having difficulties due to his body, but here he was, this damn Uchiha brat, running as if they were purchased by a horde of demons.

Finally, they saw the hidden village of the Waterfall, Takigakure and Orochimaru snapped.

"We'll stop here for a moment"

"I'm going ahead" Sasuke stubbornly replied.

"You stay here, Sasuke" Orochimaru's flinty tone left no other choice to the young man. Sasuke turned around and glared at the Sannin. They battled with each other silently for a few minutes, neither one willing to avert his eyes.

At last, Sasuke scoffed and turned back to the village, ramrod straight. His fingers had curled into a fist. Orochimaru did not care. As they neared the gates, all three of them used a Henge.

The guards only saw one young man with short, spiky brown hair and grey eyes enter the village, accompanied by two older men. All three of them wore plain black pants and T-shirts, but one of them had a light cloak that covered his torso and both his arms. One of the older men had short light blue hair, glasses and dark brown eyes. The other had a white complexion, long black hair and green eyes. His nose was sharp, his lips were full. The latter reminded one of the guard of someone, but he couldn't quite explain who. He shrugged it off and wished them a nice stay in their village.

Once in the village, Sasuke wandered away from the other two Sound nins. Orochimaru didn't call him back.

Suddenly, they heard several ninjas running. They turned around and carefully observed them.

"One of them is wounded" Kabuto stated.

Orochimaru nodded. It was true. One of the shinobis was being carried by his comrades. From where he was, Orochimaru could already see the blood gush out of the large wound. He smiled darkly. Feeble little things… They saw another shinobi come out what seemed to be the hospital. The young man ran to the group of ninjas who had just returned.

"Here, come quickly. I'll heal him"

The shinobis followed the medic nin, while still carrying their badly-hurt comrade. The wounded man was already on the verge of dying. Orochimaru could smell the pleasant fragrance of blood and he inwardly shivered. He longed to kill someone… It had been long since he had personally shed blood. Since he had thrown a kunai towards an enemy. Since he had slit someone's throat with his own hands. Since he had seen someone's blood flow on his hands.

As the shinobis passed by them, Orochimaru became intrigued.

"What happened?" the medic nin asked.

"We encountered two missing-nins…" one of the shinobis murmured.

Too bad Orochimaru had a good hearing.

They watched the shinobis walk away to the hospital. Kabuto turned to Orochimaru.

"Two…Do you think it was the Akatsuki?"

"It might. But it might have been two unknown missing-nins…"

"True. But we might as well confirm our suspicions" Kabuto suggested.

Orochimaru had already walked away. Kabuto smirked and followed him. They were headed for the hospital. They discreetly followed the medic-nin, careful not to let out their chakra. They hid in the shadows. If all went well, the medic-nin would heal the man, then ask some questions to the shinobis and write it down on a paper that he would give to the chief…Shibuki was it? Never mind. What he cared about was what had happened to those shinobis.

"Fuck! He's- Hey! Hold him down!" the medic shouted.

"You better heal him!" one of the shinobis replied. Kabuto could see he was almost crying. _Pitiful_, he thought. The wound was large, it was true. But if _he_ had to heal it, it would already have closed by now. Guessed the medic nins here were not that good…

"He- Fuck!" the medic exclaimed once again.

Then a deafening silence reigned in the room. Orochimaru and Kabuto watched the scene with complete disinterest and their cold, calculating eyes were not expressing any feeling of compassion.

"…if- if only we had not taken that shortcut…" one of the shinobis sobbed.

"Who- who did this?" the medic-nin asked, grabbing his head in his hands.

"..Akatsuki. We encountered them…and…it's not that we did anything wrong-"

"Yeah. They just saw us and-"

"And just like that, Kichi was already- already..you know…bleeding…all over the ground…"

They heard all the shinobis sobbing, their muffled cries echoing in the small room. They had their answer. Akatsuki was in this region. But which Akatsuki? Orochimaru doubted it was Itachi. After all, the Uchiha had never been the one to attack without reason some passing shinobi. Perhaps Zetsu? That would be more likely. A sacrifice for Jashin …

The Sannin was already walking away when he stopped dead in his tracks.

"I- We medic-nins aren't gods. If only we had kept this little Kami in the village…"

He swiftly turned around, his eyes wide. His skin was already whitish but he seemed to have paled even more. Kabuto looked at him quizzically. But he knew better than ask him what was wrong when they were not supposed to be in this room.

"Yeah…Kichi could have be saved…"

_** Kami**_**….**the word echoed over and over in Orochimaru's head.

"This Kami was a Healer…was she not?"

"Yeah. A Healer…it was rare too…Kichi-"

"Let's not talk about that. It's too late to have regrets" one of the shinobi snapped. His trembling voice betrayed his emotions.

But Orochimaru did not care. There was a _Kami_. It was a _She_. And _She_ was still alive. Had he not killed them all? He could be wrong. But the only time he had heard people say "Kami" was when they had referred to their village's "Gods". Were these people from Takigakure talking about the same _Kami_ ? And that Healer thing…he had thought … he had thought it was only a myth. Yes- A myth.

But today, he had learnt it wasn't. He didn't know if he should be angry for having failed a long time ago in eradicating the _Kami_, or if he should be happy that the survivor was a Healer. He did not know at all. How ironical it was…when past came back to haunt one.

He walked out of the hospital. He had changed his plans. Akatsuki could wait. He needed something much more important. And that included a certain Healer. A Healer who came from the family of the _Kami_. The _Kami_ who were once the most important clan of the hidden village of Tsukinohebigure. The same village he had burnt down years ago.

His priority had changed.

But his goal…had not changed.

It was not for the Healer. It was for himself.

_

* * *

~_

_The most important goal is to survive. The rest…is just a pawn. _

* * *

Tsukinohebigure

* Year 5 of the Sanyo's era

-137th day : 12am Sakura trains. Her parents watch her.

-137th day: 12 pm Slaughter. Sakura is 4 year old.

Konohagure

*Year 7 of the Sandaime's era

-42th day : Sakura arrives at Konoha. She's 4 year old.

*Year 10 of the Sandaime's era

-36th day : Sakura meets Itachi for the first time **. **She's 7 year old, Itachi's 12.

-78th day : Itachi is on the Uchiha's training grounds. Sakura watches him. He teaches her some moves and jutsus.

* Year 11 of the Sandaime's era

-18th day : Itachi slaughters his family. He's 13.

- 214th day : Ino becomes friends with Sakura. Sakura and Ino are 8 year old.

* Year 12 of the Sandaime's era

Naruto learns about Sakura's monthly visit to the hospital. Itachi watches from afar.

Sakura and Naruto are 9 year old. Itachi is 15.

* Year 7 of the Godaime's era

-183th day : Tsunade gives the Jounin appliance to Sakura.

-238th day : Sakura's 16th anniversary. (Itachi is 22)

-239th day : Sakura receives a gift whose sender she does not know.

- 241th day : Jounin competition. / At another place, at the same time, Orochimaru learns about the existence of a Healer.


End file.
